Destiny Duets
by Zapto369
Summary: The story of the Tag-Team Championship! Continuity goes out the window!
1. Chapter 1: Inspiration

Chapter 1- Inspiration

"Ah, just another day in paradise. But I do wish there was something good on TV." Maximillion Pegasus said to himself as he turned off the television set in his room and got out of bed. "I mean really, Saturday morning cartoons aren't what they used to be anymore. Not since they cancelled Funny Bunny anyways. Oh that was such a good show. Now all we have left is people dueling on motorcycles or something stupid like that. Oh well." Pegasus continued as he put on his robe and stepped out onto his balcony overlooking a lake. "Oh I must say, I love the view here, but it has been so boring lately." Pegasus thought to himself. "Maybe I should throw another tournament or something. At least for some amusement. But then again, what kind of tournament would I throw? Kaiba boy's been taking all the thunder for tournaments these days with Battle City and all. But I suppose that suits him. And on second thought, a peaceful life suits me as well." Pegasus continued as he closed his eyes. He was just about to fall back asleep when a knock came from his bedroom door.

"Come in, I'm out on the balcony." Pegasus shouted as Croquet, his butler walked in holding a small brown package. "Mr. Pegasus, sir, a package has just arrived for you." The older gentleman told his master. "Oh goody, it must be that book I ordered. When I saw it online, it sparked my interest so much, I just had to buy it. Thank you." Pegasus replied happily as he took the package. "Croquet, get me a glass of wine also, thanks." Pegasus stated as he opened the package. "Yes sir." Croquet replied as he took the trash away and went to fill Pegasus's glass. "Well this is good, at least now I have something to do today." Pegasus thought to himself as he flipped open the book and began reading the introduction. "Here you go, sir." Croquet said as he placed the glass on a nearby table. "Croquet, wait." Pegasus urged as his butler turned to leave. "What is it, sir?" Croquet asked concerned. "Just… please don't leave just yet. I don't want to be alone. This book… reminds me of… just please don't leave yet, just stand and wait there, Croquet. Thank you." Pegasus asked in a sad tone as a single tear began to form in his eye. "Yes sir, of course." Croquet replied calmly. He was used to this happening. Pegasus got in a mood like this sometimes, particularly when something touched his heart very dearly.

Pegasus sat there and read through the entire book in about an hour or two. By the time he was finished reading, he had finished his glass of wine and cried only slightly. When he was done, he closed the book and breathed a long sigh. "Mr. Pegasus, sir, was that book to your liking?" Croquet asked politely. "… Yes it was. A story like that, I haven't heard in too long a time. Croquet, this book has inspired me and brought back too many old memories. I've decided that I'm going to host a tournament." Pegasus told his butler who was taken aback by the news. "But sir, what kind of tournament are you going to throw?" Croquet asked. "A tournament unlike any other. In most Duel Monsters competitions, there is a single winner crowned. But in this tournament, there will be two. And that's because I'm making this the first ever international tag-team championship! Teams of two duelists will compete for the prize right here in Duelist Kingdom." Pegasus revealed.

"But sir, what will this prize be?" Croquet asked. "Hmm, that's a good question. I've got it! Croquet, I want a new card designed and only two copies made. The prize shall be these two cards, the only ones of their kind." Pegasus continued as Croquet got out a pad of paper and began to write this down. "An admirable idea, sir." Croquet stated. "I think so. Now I'm placing you in charge of organizing the logistics behind the tournament. I want preliminary rounds to take place in major cities here in America and other notable places in the world. Host them in, let's see: Tampa, Florida of course. And then perhaps Philadelphia, and New J… actually make that San Francisco. Oh and New York City too. Throw in Chicago if you want. The rest is up to you." Pegasus dictated. "Of course sir. But one more thing: what should the effects of this prize card be?" Croquet asked. "Be creative. I want it to be a spell card, but the cards' effects and art are entirely up to someone from design. Put Chumley and Franz on the case. The only thing that matters to me is the card's name." Pegasus stated as he stood up. "And what should that be?" Croquet asked. "Name it after the title of this book." Pegasus stated as he handed the book to his butler.

"Yes sir. Oh and the tournament's name?" Croquet asked as he went to leave. "Didn't I just say it? Call it the Tag-Team Championship!" Pegasus exclaimed as he raised his arms in a dramatic fashion. "Yes sir, I'll go right away and begin organizing the tournament." Croquet stated with a bow as he left the room. "Excellent, I haven't felt this excited in a long time. This tournament should be very exciting! Oh, Cecilia, if only you could see me now." Pegasus thought as he looked to the sky and shed one last tear. "Now I think I'll go get dressed and join Croquet and them in organizing this tournament. Oh and then maybe I'll go download some Relient K songs. Oh I feel so excited, I can't wait!" Pegasus shouted out loud as he walked back inside to go prepare the upcoming Tag-Team Championship.


	2. Chapter 2: Gathering the Hoard

Chapter 2- Gathering the Hoard

"Hey baby!" The young man called James waved as he walked outside of his front door and walked towards his girlfriend's now parked car. He wore jean pants and his favorite angel wings shirt. Of course, he also wore his legendary gray jacket, which was for once appropriate considering the cool autumn air. "Hey!" The beautiful young lady named Kristiann called back as she got out of her car and walked to the sidewalk to meet her boyfriend. She too wore jean pants and her favorite light blue shirt and a gray sweater, a female counterpart to James' legendary jacket. Around her neck was a red, heart-shaped pendant given to her by her beloved.

The couple embraced each other and gave each other a quick kiss. It was a Friday morning, a day off from school thankfully, in early November and Kristiann had gone over to James' house for the day to hang out. "Hey come on in, I have a surprise for you." James said ominously, but happily as he motioned Kristiann into the house. "A surprise? Oh ok." Kristiann replied in a confused way as she followed James into his house. When they got inside, Kristiann greeted James's mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper, and James walked over to the kitchen table and picked up a small, wrapped box. "I know it's a little late, but I got you this for Halloween. So, happy Halloween I guess!" James said with a smile as he handed the box to his beloved. "A Halloween gift? Really, James? You really shouldn't have." Kristiann said sheepishly as she accepted the gift. "Well you know just how much I love getting you stuff. And holidays are always a perfect excuse. Go ahead, open it up." James encouraged.

Kristiann opened up the small box and pulled out the two trading cards inside: Vampire Lord, a monster card, and Vampire Control, a normal spell card. "Wow, how appropriate! I'll definitely find a place for these in my deck. Thanks!" Kristiann exclaimed as she gave James a hug. "Hey speaking of decks, check this out." James's mother butted in as she revealed an advertisement from Industrial Illusions, an American gaming company. "Wow, an international duel monsters tournament! And the preliminary rounds take place in cities around the country and the world." James spoke out loud as he read the article. "A tournament? What kind? Oh hey a tag team championship! It says here that teams of two duelists will compete for the crown. James, we should totally enter this!" Kristiann suggested. "Yea, we should! Can we?" James asked his mother. "Well I don't see why not. Let's see, it says that in order to enter the tournament, teams must first pass through a preliminary round. Let's see, the Tampa one is… tomorrow!" James's mother read out loud. "All right, tomorrow it is then! We'll enter that tournament and show everyone that we're the best team around!" James exclaimed happily. "Good plan, come on, let's go get our decks ready." Kristiann suggested as she and James went into James's rooms to prepare for the next day.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Tampa…

"Hey, watch where you're going!" An angry driver shouted at a young man who just crossed the street on foot. The young man, dressed all in black, ignored the shout and angry gesture and continued to turn and walk down the city street. The cool autumn air blew his black trench coat and long blue hair in the wind. The young man was reflecting on his broken career as he strolled aimlessly down the sidewalk. At one point, he graduated Duel Academy top of his class and began a successful professional career. But then he lost a pivotal match to his destiny-obsessed rival Aster Phoenix and his career hit rock bottom. In an effort to pull himself back up, he participated in underground duels and became a vicious, cold-blooded duelist. Obsessed with the desire for victory and power, he traveled to snow-covered mountains to claim the evil Underworld Deck. While his efforts were successful, his comeback career was not the best. Although the power of the Cyberdark cards fueled his desire for power, they left him with a fatal heart condition that almost took his life. With the help of his younger brother, he rejected the Underworld Deck and left on a journey to reclaim his life. He decided to go, far away, for a time in order to clear his mind and take back the life so shattered by destiny and darkness.

These were the thoughts that were running through his head as he walked on aimlessly. Though his still wore his Hell Kaiser outfit, he no longer believed in power and selfishness. In fact, he no longer knew what to believe. Neither compassion nor rage seemed to work for him. And his dueling spirit was suffering as well. "I just need something to re-spark my desire to duel and make a comeback to my career." The young man thought to himself as he looked down at his duel disk and his still faithful Cyber cards.

But then something caught his blue eyes on the side of an approaching building. It was a poster put out by Industrial Illusions to advertise their new tournament. "What's this?" The young man asked out loud as he looked closer at the poster. It advertised the new International Tag-Team Championship and the preliminary rounds taking place in cities worldwide. "A new tournament, this might just be what I'm looking for. But a tag-team, that might be a problem. I don't have anyone to duel with. Besides, I walk alone." The young man thought as he turned because he heard a female voice call out.

The young man turned and saw a teenage girl jogging down the street towards him, waving. She wore jean pants and a navy blue Hollister hoodie. She had dirty blonde hair and a pair of feminine glasses that covered her green eyes. "You're Zane Truesdale aren't you?" The young lady asked as she slowed her pace and got up to where the blue-haired young man was standing. "Yes, that's me." The young man named Zane replied. "I thought so. I've seen you on TV during your professional duels. I'm a big fan. But you haven't been on in a while. What's going on?" The young woman asked politely. "It's a long story." Zane stated flatly as he look at the ground. "Oh I see." The young lady responded.

"So you thinking about entering this tournament?" The young woman asked as she motioned to the poster on the wall to break the awkward silence. "Perhaps, but I don't think so. This is a tag-team tournament and I don't have a partner to duel with." Zane replied. "Neither do I, but I still want to enter this tournament." The young woman revealed. There was another, shorter silence, but then Zane got an idea he was not too sure of. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to go forward with it. "Would you… would you like to team up with me for this tournament?" Zane asked tentatively. "I thought you'd never ask. Of course I'll team up with you! The name's Becca." The young lady revealed with a smile as she extended her hand. "Zane. It's an honor to team up with you." Zane also raised his hand and shook Becca's. "So you want to get lunch or something?" Becca offered. "Sure, why not?" Zane replied calmly as the two walked off together.

Meanwhile, on the streets of New York City…

"Hey, watch where you're walking!" An angry driver shouted as he honked his horn at a young man just crossing the street. "Well then why don't you watch where you're driving?!" The young man in yellow shouted back. The young man, dressed in a Ra Yellow Duel Academy uniform, had black hair that was neatly arranged, with a large portion of it flushed back and slightly to the left. He mumbled to himself as he turned the corner and began walking down the sidewalk of the busy street. "Life just hasn't been the same without Tania." The young man thought glumly to himself as he changed the song on the MP3 player connected to his ears. Ever since he had come back from the alternate dimension without her, life just hadn't been the same. But it was impossible for them to be together. They were of two different worlds. The only left for the young man to do was pick up the pieces and move on.

Now he used music to help kill his pain. Not known to most of his friends, his favorite band was Evanescence, mostly because he had a slight crush on their lead singer, which was exactly what he was listening to when a poster on a wall caught the attention of his black-brown eyes. "Now what's this? A Duel Monsters tournament? Well this certainly looks like fun." The young man thought to himself as he read the poster. "Oh, tag team duels, well that's unfortunate. I don't have a partner to duel with. At least not anymore." The young man added as he turned sharply and continued his walk. "Hey wait!" A female voice called out to him. The young man glanced behind him and then turned around, somewhat annoyed, to see just who was calling him.

When he turned around and saw the woman run towards him, the young man's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped a little. The very attractive woman had long black hair complemented by her entire black wardrobe and steely blue eyes. "No, it can't be!" The young man exclaimed in his mind as the attractive woman caught up to him. "Hey, I'm Amy. I saw you looking at that poster for the Tag Team Championship. Are you thinking about entering?" The young woman asked. "Oh my gosh! Amy Lee?!" The young man asked star struck. "The one and only." The dark woman replied. "What an honor it is to meet you! My name is Bastion Misawa and yes, I'm thinking about entering the tournament. But I don't have a partner." The young man named Bastion exclaimed in a very excited manner.

"I want to enter too, but I also don't have a partner at the moment. He's…" Amy Lee began but was interrupted by an excited Bastion. "Well then if neither of us have partners, and we both want to enter the Tag Team Championship, then why don't we enter together? What do you say?" Bastion asked quickly and nervously. "Well sure, I'll team up with you." Amy replied. "Then it's settled! Now, let us go prepare! The Tag Team Championship awaits!" Bastion shouted dramatically.


	3. Chapter 3: The Preliminaries Begin

Chapter 3- The Preliminaries Begin

"Alright, we made it!" James exclaimed happily as he and his partner entered a room to the side of the main floor of the stadium where the preliminary rounds were taking place. "Yea, I'm glad we did. Thanks to you we were a little too late, but we just barely made it in." Kristiann stated. When the pair arrived at the Forum, they had to go through a registration process. But once they had gotten through that, they were told to wait in this side room until they were told otherwise. Apparently, they were going to make announcements of the tournament's structure, and then they would be told what to do. "So how long do you think we'll be waiting here?" James asked. "I don't know, but not long I don't think." Kristiann replied. "Well, James, I didn't expect to see you here. But it makes sense I guess." Becca greeted as she walked across the room to meet James and Kristiann. "Becca, how's it going? Wait, you're in this too? Who's your partner?" James asked. "That would be me." Zane stated as he too walked up to meet the others. "Wow, Zane Truesdale! I know you. You used to be a professional duelist. So, you're Becca's partner?" Kristiann asked to clarify. "Yes, I am. Though we only met yesterday, we have agreed to enter this tournament together." Zane answered. "Zane, this is James and Kristiann." Becca introduced. "Pleased to meet you." Zane told them as he shook both of their hands.

"So when do you think something goes down here?" James asked all three of them. "I don't know, but hopefully soon." Becca replied hopefully. "Hey look, I think they're starting something up there." Kristiann pointed out as she pointed to a television screen in the room that had a direct feed to the cameras in the main stadium.

"Attention duelists and welcome to the St. Pete Times Forum!" Kemo, Pegasus's pointy haired henchman shouted into the microphone as he stood on the center of the wide, white floor of the huge arena. The crowd at the Tampa Bay hockey stadium cheered because it was not a hockey or arena football game they came to see. It was the preliminary round of Industrial Illusion's International Tag Team Championship. "The Preliminary Round of the International Tag Team Championship is about to begin! Now I'll turn the mike over to Mr. Pegasus, the president of Industrial Illusions and organizer of this tournament." Kemo continued as Maximilian Pegasus stepped out onto the main floor. He wore his usual red, slightly effeminate suit, and had his hair in typical Pegasus fashion. "Greeting, duel fans, and welcome to the preliminary round of my new tournament!" Pegasus shouted into the microphone, much to the cheering of the packed stadium.

"This tournament is unlike any others that have come before it. Duelist Kingdom itself pales in comparison. In other tournaments, a duelist can rely on no one except for his or herself. But in this tournament, unity is the only way to succeed. As we speak, all of our applicants for this tournament are in waiting for the results. Out of all of the people who tried out for this tournament, only four teams of two will be able to participate in a sort of mini-tournament that decides who gets the grand honor of traveling to Duelist Kingdom Island to compete in my castle for the crown. Many teams have tried out, but only four shall compete in this preliminary tournament." Pegasus explained. "In fact…" He trailed off as Kemo came running in, waving four slips of paper in his hand. "Mr. Pegasus, I have the four teams." Kemo stated in his deep voice as he handed his master the papers. "Thank you, Kemo. It appears out four teams have already been selected. And the lucky contestants who get to move on are…" Pegasus began as he read the slips of paper.

"The first team to advance to the next round is James Alvarez and Kristiann Baluta!" Pegasus read as the crowd cheered. "Alright, we made it!" James exclaimed happily as he jumped up in excitement. "The second team is Zane Truesdale and Rebekah Plazewski!" Pegasus then revealed. "Alright, you guys made it too!" Kristiann congratulated the advancing team. "The third team is Psyche and Hammer!" Pegasus then shouted. "Those can't be their real names." Becca pointed out. "And the final team out of the four is the sisterhood of Lovrina and Lavana Johnston!" Pegasus finally revealed. "Well they certainly look happy." Zane said flatly as two girls, obviously the Johnston sisters, giggled. "And those, my friends, are the four teams that advance to the next round. The rest of the duelists who tried out unfortunately have not made it. Better luck next time." Pegasus continued as he whispered aside to Kemo to ask the rest of the duelists to leave. "The remaining four teams will be then be shuffled and placed in tournament brackets for the remainder of the preliminary round. There will be two rounds of dueling, with only one team advancing to the official championship on Duelist Kingdom Island. The rules are simple: there will be single tag-team duels, but instead of each duelist having 4000 life points, the team will share a pool of 8000 life points. Now let's shuffle it up and see who duels who in the first round." Pegasus explained as the four teams were shuffled on the jumbo-tron.

"And it looks like the first duel will be the team of James and Kristiann versus the team of Lovrina and Lavana! The duel will begin in 15 minutes. Stay tuned!" Pegasus stated as the jumbo-tron showed the tournament brackets and the preliminary competition began in earnest.


	4. Chapter 4: It Begins

Chapter 4- It begins

"Attention duelists and welcome back to the preliminary round of the International Tag Team Championship!" Kemo shouted from the main arena floor. "The first round of this mini-tournament is about to begin. Here the contestants come now! Please welcome James and Kristiann!" Kemo added as James and Kristiann walked out and stood on one side of the arena floor. They both waved to the crowd, who gave then a thunderous ovation. "And here are their opponents: Lovrina and Lavana!" Kemo added as the two females also walked out. Lovrina had two long pink ponytails for hair and wore a simple gray-white outfit. Lavana, on the other hand, had a single pink ponytail and wore a slightly more attractive pink shirt and shirt. Lovrina wore flat gray-white shoes, while her sister wore high pink heels. Both of them carried Kaiba Corp duel disks on their respective left arms.

"Are you two like totally read to throw down?" Lovrina asked in her high-pitched, preppy voice. "I'm already for a duel." James replied. "Yea, but you've never faced anything like us before." Lavana countered confidently. "Maybe not, but we'll take you down anyways." Kristiann retorted. "Now that everyone has been introduced, it's time to begin. Both teams will begin with 8000 life points. Are both teams ready?" Kemo asked as all four of them activated their duel disks in reply. "Then begin!" Kemo shouted, much to the happiness of the excited crowd. "Let's duel!" All four of the duelists shouted at the same time.

"I'll make the first move in this tournament." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "To start off, I'll summon my Bolt Penguin in attack mode." Kristiann called as her electric penguin emerged with 1100 attack and 800 defense. "Then I'll lay this one card facedown and end my turn." She then concluded. "Alright then, it's like totally my turn." Lovrina stated as she drew a card. "And I'll like totally summon this cutie in defense mode. Like go, Petit Dragon!" Lovrina called as her tiny dragon emerged with 600 attack and 700 defense. "Then I'll like totally lay this card facedown and like totally end my turn." Lovrina then concluded. "Jeez, how many times can you say 'totally' in that same sentence?" James commented as he drew a card. "I think I'll spice things up with my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" James called as his Elvin warrior emerged with 1400 attack and 1200 defense. "Now, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack Lovrina's dragon with fairy blade slash!" James commanded as his knight charged towards his enemy's. "You like totally triggered my trap card: Cute Charm! As long as this card's like totally in play, none of my normal monsters can be like totally destroyed in battle by effect monsters." Lovrina explained as her trap activated and formed a force field of pink energy around her dragon, blocking James's attack.

"Fine then, I place two cards facedown and end my turn." James concluded. "You're all pathetic you know that! I mean seriously, two normal monsters and a lame effect monster! What are we beginners again? Well whatever, I guess it's up to me then to actually play something worthwhile." Lavana steamed as she drew a card. "And I'll turn up the heat with my Fire Princess in attack mode!" Lavana called as her fiery girl emerged with 1300 attack and 1500 defense. "And how is she any better than our monsters? She has even less attack points than my Celtic Guardian!" James questioned. "That may be, but she has a much better effect. But in order to activate it, I must first activate this magic card: Burning Life! With this magic card, I can destroy one of your monsters and gain 500 life points. So I'll use it to destroy your Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Lavana explained as James's warrior was engulfed in flames and destroyed, raising Lavana's and Lovrina's life points to 8500. "And since I just gained life points, my Fire Princess's special ability kicks in, causing you to lose 500 life points!" Lavana explained as her princess shot two beams of fire at James and Kristiann, bringing their life points down to 7500. "Like good job, sis!" Lovrina squealed happily. "Would you expect anything less from me? Well I can't attack this turn because of my magic card, but that's not too important. To end my turn, I'll place this one card facedown. You're up!" Lavana concluded.

"Not a bad move, Lavana, but I have a trap card that I can activate now that you end your turn." James commended. "Since one of my warrior monsters was destroyed this turn, I can use my Immortal Warrior trap to bring him back in attack mode. Nice try though." James explained as his Obnoxious Celtic Warrior remerged with 1400 attack and 1200 defense. "Whatever, that won't help you too much." Lavana snapped back. "Maybe not, but you've got something worse to worry about: It's my turn." Kristiann taunted as she drew a card. "Hey James, I didn't think I'd get to use your card this soon, but guess what I just drew?" Kristiann asked her partner. "If it is what I think it is then it's sure to help us win. Go ahead and play it!" James replied with a smile and a thumbs-up. "I think I will. I sacrifice my Bolt Penguin in order to summon my Vampire Lord in attack mode!" Kristiann called as her powerful vampire emerged with 2000 attack and 1500 defense. "Nice try, but I have a trap card: Burning Trap Hole! I can activate this when you tribute summon and monster and it automatically destroys the monster. Oh well, but that's it for your Vampire Lord." Lavana explained with an evil snicker. "Well, I tried James, but I guess I couldn't keep your card alive." Kristiann said despairingly. "Don't worry, I have a feeling he'll be back soon enough. After all, Vampire Lord has a special ability: when it's destroyed by a card effect, it returns to the field during your next turn." James explained. "Well that's kinda cool! In the mean time however, I'll lay this card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded.

"Then it's like totally my turn again." Lovrina stated as she drew a card. "And like here's something that'll totally help me out later. I play Heart of the Underdog!" Lovrina called as her continuous magic card was played on the field. "And what does that card do?" James asked. "You'll like totally find out in due time. But in the mean time, I'll like totally summon another cute normal monster in defense mode. My Petit Angel!" Lovrina called as her tiny fairy emerged with 600 attack and 900 defense. "I gotta say that I'm getting a little tired of all these obnoxiously cute monsters and your 'like totally' talk." James stated as he drew a card. "Oh you're just totally jealous that my sis and I are like totally walking all over you in this duel." Lovrina snapped back. "You know, we're not really all that far off in points now." Kristiann pointed out. "Maybe not now, but we will be soon enough. When your life points hit zero and we still have a whole bunch, then you'll know what we mean by our burning power!" Lavana laughed.


	5. Chapter 5: Power Play

Chapter 5- Power Play

"We'll see about that, Lavana." James stated as he looked over his hand. "And to start off, I'll summon my Dawnbreak Gardna in attack mode." James called as his shining warrior emerged with 1500 attack and 500 defense. "Oh, I'm so intimidated! Like you know anything special about dawn." Lavana commented meanly. "You take that back! That was completely uncalled for! I'll show you what I know about dawn. Dawnbreak Gardna, destroy Lavana's Fire Princess!" James commanded angrily as his warrior smashed Lavana's monster, reducing their life points to 8300. "And now, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack her life points directly!" James added as his fairy knight slashed Lavana, reducing their life points again to 6900. "That ends my turn." James exhaled, ending his angry move. "Well we have a bit of a temper, now don't we?" Lavana taunted as she drew a card. "Don't worry, I'll stoke your flames by summoning my Volcano Tortoise in attack mode!" Lavana called as her pyro type turtle emerged with 1500 attack and 1800 defense. "Now, Volcano Tortoise, destroy James's stupid little warrior with volcanic fury strike!" Lavana commanded as her turtle blew steam out of its nose and shot a barrage of molten rock from its back, striking James's Obnoxious Celtic Guardian and destroying it, reducing their life points to 7400. "And here's the kicker: whenever my Tortoise destroys one of your monsters, you lose 500 life points." Lavana explained as more flaming meteors hit James, reducing their life points again to 6900.

"Now our life points are equal, but not for too much longer. I play this card facedown and end my turn." Lavana concluded. "Yea, I'll bet." Kristiann remarked as she drew a card. "Now that it's my turn, since my Vampire Lord was destroyed last turn by a card effect, it returns back to my side of the field. So come back to me, Vampire Lord!" Kristiann called as a coffin arose from the ground and Vampire Lord stepped out with its original 2000 attack and 1500 defense. "Next, I'll summon another monster called Gemini Elf in attack mode!" Kristiann added as her twin elves emerged with 1900 attack and 900 defense. "And with both of these two strong monsters on my field, you're done for. Vampire Lord, attack Volcano Tortoise!" Kristiann commanded as her monster shot a blast of bat-like energy at Lavana's monster. "You may think your monsters are so tough, but I have a trap. I activate Attack Guidance Barrier! This lets me redirect your attack to another monster, but it also increases the monster's power by 600." Lavana explained. "Not that it matters much, because I'm redirecting your attack to my sister's Petit Dragon." Lavana continued as the dark energy shot was bounced off a crystal barrier and started for the tiny green dragon. "And since your Vampire Lord is like totally an effect monster, its attack is like totally negated by my Cute Charm trap." Lovrina explained as the attack at last made contact with the pink force field and was negated.

"And my trap also automatically ends your battle phase, so sad." Lavana added. "And a stunning team effort by the Johnston sisters!" Kemo the announcer exclaimed as the crowd cheered. "So you had one good move. It's no big deal. I play one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Then it's like totally my turn again." Lovrina stated as she drew a card. "You like totally remember my Heart of the Underdog magic card, right? Well when I like totally draw a normal monster from my deck, it activates, letting my like totally draw another card." Lovrina explained as she revealed the Haniwa in her hand and drew another card. "Next, I'll like totally activate my Graceful Charity spell card, letting me draw three cards if then I discard two." Lovrina explained as she drew and discarded her cards. "Then I'll like totally summon another cutie in the Haniwa I just drew." Lovrina added as her little rock man emerged with 500 attack and defense. "And now it's time to get a little more serious. I like totally activate my Triangle Power spell card!" Lovrina exclaimed as three points of light radiated from the ground at her feet. "This like totally increases the attack power of all low level normal monsters on my side of the field by 2000!" Lovrina explained as her monsters grew in size and attack points: Haniwa to 2500, Petit Dragon to 2600, and Petit Angel to 2600.

"Now, like totally go my army of cuties, destroy all of their monsters!" Lovrina commanded as her monsters all charged at the same time. "Not so fast, Lovrina, I have a trap. I activate Negate Attack, which automatically blocks all of your attacks." Kristiann countered as all of Lovrina's monsters stopped dead in their tracks. "Oh, that was so totally not cool! Since my turn's now over, all of my monsters are destroyed!" Lovrina pouted as all of her monsters shattered. "And now you're left totally defenseless." James stated as he drew a card. "So I'll sacrifice my Dawnbreak Gardna in order to summon my Cyber-Tech Alligator in attack mode!" James called as his shining warrior was replaced with the mechanized draconic reptile with 2500 attack and 1600 defense. "And like I said before, you have no monsters to protect you. So go, Cyber-Tech Alligator and attack Lovrina's life points directly!" James called out as his monster flew at the pink-haired girl and slashed her life points down to 4400. "I'll end my turn by placing this card facedown." James concluded.

"A stunning upset by the lovely team of James and Kristiann!" The announcer exclaimed as the crowd went wild. "You think you can get away with one good move like that?" Lavana snapped as she drew a card. "Well look out, because I'm about to make a serious power play. I'll start off my move by summoning The Thing in the Crater in attack mode!" Lavana called as a hole opened up in the dueling floor and a being composed completely of fire crawled half way out of it with 1000 attack and 1200 defense. "But then I'll equip my new monster with my Flame Bluster magic card, increasing its attack points by 1000!" Lavana added as her creature's flames grew higher and its attack power rose to 2000. "Next up, I have a very special monster in my hand. But, you know, I don't think I need it, so I'll give it to you guys as a gift. I'll sacrifice Kristiann's Vampire Lord in order to summon my Volcanic Queen to your side of the field." Lavana explained as Kristiann's Vampire Lord was enveloped in a blaze and was replaced with a fiery queen riding a great fire dragon with 2500 attack and 1200 defense. "What?! Why would you want to give such a strong monster to me?" Kristiann asked. "Well I didn't do it out of the kindness of my heart! Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. But for now, Thing in the Crater, destroy her Gemini Elf!" Lavana commanded as the thing shot out of its lava filled hole and consumed Kristiann's monster in flames, destroying it and reducing Kristiann and James's life points to 6800.

"Now, I'll end my turn, which activates the special ability of that Volcanic Queen I gave you. At the end of either of our turns, Kristiann, you have to either sacrifice one monster and I lose 1000 points of damage, or don't sacrifice a monster and you lose 1000 points of damage." Lavana explained. "But I don't have any monsters on the field to sacrifice." Kristiann pointed out. "Exactly, that's why you have no choice now but to take the 1000 point hit!" Lavana exclaimed as Volcanic Queen glowed with red energy and James and Kristiann's life points dropped to 5800. "Ahaha, that's the beauty of burning fire! And soon all of your life points will burn away and my sister and I will take the whole tournament by firestorm!" Lavana laughed as her turn ended.


	6. Chapter 6: The Once and Future Queen

Chapter 6- The Once and Future Queen

"It's still my turn now." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "I might not have a monster in my hand that I can summon, but I do have this magic card: Premature Burial! This lets me bring back a monster from my graveyard at the cost of 800 life points. So I'll use it to summon my Gemini Elf back to the field in attack mode!" Kristiann explained as her twin elves reemerged with 1900 attack and 900 defense and her life points dropped to 5000. "Your Volcanic Queen may have a major drawback, but she's still my monster, which means she can still attack. Volcanic Queen, attack Lavana's Thing in the Crater!" Kristiann commanded as her fire queen's dragon shot a blaze of fire at Lavana's monster, destroying it and reducing her life points to 3900. "And now, Gemini Elf, attack her life points directly!" Kristiann pointed in exclamation, but was cut off by Lavana's laughing. "Not so fast! My Thing in the Crater has a special ability that activates whenever it's destroyed. With it, I can automatically summon a pyro type monster directly from my hand, no matter how strong it is. So I'll use it to bring out my Flame Beast Magmortar in attack mode!" Lavana exclaimed as the high level fire creature emerged with 2700 attack and 2900 defense.

"I would reconsider your attack now that my Magmortar is on my side of the field." Lavana stated smugly as Kristiann did indeed call off her attack. "In that case, I play one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Excellent, but now that you have ended your turn, Volcanic Queen's effect kicks in once again! So the question is, are you going to sacrifice your monster?" Lavana asked. "Yes, I'll sacrifice my Gemini Elf to do 1000 points of damage directly to you." Kristiann stated as her elves disappeared and Volcanic Queen's dragon shot a burst of fire at Lavana. The attack made contact and dropped Lavana's team's life points to 2900. "Aha, I was hoping you would do that. Now I can activate my trap card: Doppelganger! As long as this card remains on the field, all damage I take from a monster effect gets sent back at you as well." Lavana countered with a smile as Kristiann was surrounded by a fiery aura, shocking her life points to 4000. "Kristiann, are you okay?" James asked concerned for his partner. "Yea, I'm fine." Kristiann replied through a sigh from the hit.

"Well not for much longer, cause now it's like totally my move." Lovrina stated as she drew a card. "And would you look at this! I like just totally drew my favorite card!" Lovrina jumped in happiness as she revealed the Seiyaryu monster she just drew. "And since that's like totally a normal monster, my Heart of the Underdog card lets me like totally draw another card." Lovrina stated as she drew a second card. "It's too bad your Seiyaryu is a level seven monster, so you won't be able to summon it." James pointed out with a grin. "Like, I wouldn't be so sure of that. I still have my Enchanting Fitting Room spell card! And here's how it works: First I give up 800 life points. Then I can like totally look at the top four cards of my deck and like totally summon and level three or lower normal monsters I find there." Lovrina explained as she looked at the cards, after her life points dropped to 2100. "And like what do ya know?! There are two cute little normal monsters right here. I like totally summon Little Cotton Bird and Happy Lover!" Lovrina called out as her tiny blue bird with cotton for wings emerged with 700 attack and 200 defense and heart wearing cherub with 800 attack and 500 defense.

"And now I can like totally sacrifice both of my new cuties in order to summon a like totally strong one: Seiyaryu!" Lovrina exclaimed with a childish cheer as her two fluffy monsters made way for the shining pink dragon with 2500 attack and 2300 defense. "Wow, she actually played a strong monster. Too bad it's not strong enough." James remarked flatly. "I heard that! I know she's like totally not strong enough yet, but she will be after I activate the effect of my sissy's monster." Lovrina stated as she looked at her sister, who nodded. "By activating Magmortar's effect, my sister's dragon gains 500 attack points. But that's not all. We also gain 500 life points and you two lose 500 life points." Lavana explained as Seiyaryu's attack points rose to 2900. Then Magmortar raised both of its cannon like arms and shot two blasts of fire at James and Kristiann, reducing their life points to 3500. Consequently, Lavana and Lovrina's life points also changed, but rose to 2600. "And now that my monster is like totally strong enough, Seiyaryu, destroy his like totally un-cool Cyber-Tech Alligator!" Lovrina commanded as her dragon shot a beam of rainbow light at James's monster, destroying it and reducing their life points to 3000.

"That'll like totally end my turn." Lovrina concluded as her Seiyaryu's attack points returned to normal. "Alright, then it's up to me." James stated as he drew a card. "Alright, let's see. I don't have any monster in my hand that's strong enough to compete with theirs, but I think I have a plan that just might work." James thought to himself as he glanced over his hand. "First, I'll lay this card facedown on the field. And then I'll summon this monster card facedown in defense mode. That's all for me." James stated. "That's it? How pathetic!" Lavana mocked as she drew a card. "And I think I'll seriously turn up the heat with this little magic card: Tremendous Fire! This powerful fire spell covers the whole field in its blaze, causing you to lose 1000 life points and us to lose 500." Lavana explained as all four of the duelists were instantly engulfed in a huge column of fire that reduced Kristiann and James's life points to 2000 and the Johnston sisters' to 2100. "Ah, sweet fire." Lavana mused. "Speaking of which, it's time I also activate Magmortar's special ability, giving him 500 attack points, doing 500 points of damage, and increasing our life points by 500. Go Magmortar!" Lavana commanded as her monster's attack points rose to 3200, James and Kristiann's life points went down to 1500, and Lavana and her sister's life points rose back to 2600.

"And now, Magmortar, wipe out James's puny little defense monster!" Lavana commanded as her monster took aim and fired. "Now hold on a sec, I activate my trap card: Hero Call! This card lets me move one card from somewhere in my deck and place it at the top of my deck." James explained as he moved his cards. "So what? That's not going to do anything for you!" Lavana shouted back as Magmortar's fire shot incinerated James's defense monster. "Normally, yea I guess that would be true. But you've just destroyed my Scout Knight and he's got a special ability: whenever he's sent to the graveyard, I can look at the top three cards of my deck and summon any monster I find there. And since I just placed a monster card on the top of my deck, I know exactly what I'll be able to summon. So I will indeed summon the top card of my deck and one of my strongest and most favorite monsters: Gilford the Lightning!" James exclaimed as a charge of electrical energy rippled from the floor and the lightning-sword wielding warrior emerged with 2800 attack and 1400 defense.

"Big deal, you can't use him until next turn anyways. And since I'm ending my turn now, Volcanic Queen's special ability activates. And since Kristiann over there has no monsters to sacrifice, you two take 1000 points of damage. I've got this duel in the bag!" Lavana laughed as she ended her turn and the red aura dropped Kristiann's life points down to 500. "This is our last chance, baby." James pointed out. "Yea, no pressure though." Kristiann sighed. "It's alright, I know you'll play exactly what we need to win in this turn. I believe in you. Now go get 'em!" James pep talked. "You're right! This isn't over yet, Lavana. I still have one draw left." Kristiann stated as she drew her card. "Alright, this'll do I guess. I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw an additional two cards." Kristiann explained as she drew her cards. "So what? There's nothing you can do to stop us now!" Lavana shouted. "I beg to differ. Cause now I have all that I need to win this. First off, I think it's time for a change of scenery. I activate the field spell Ice Palace!" Kristiann exclaimed as the entire field changed. Now, they were dueling inside of a castle composed entirely of ice. "Like, that was totally cold!" Lovrina complained. "Well this beautiful castle of mine doesn't just look cool, it also prevents any player from taking direct damage if they have a monster on the field. So that means that the effects of your Volcanic Queen don't do anything anymore!" Kristiann explained.

"Well whatever, you still can't overpower our two monsters!" Lavana shot back. "You'd like to think so, but I have a card or two that'll change all that. James, you mind if I borrow your monster?" Kristiann asked. "No problem, my queen!" James replied with a huge smile and a thumbs up. "In that case, I'll activate my magic card Blessings of the Aurora! Now I can sacrifice James's Gilford the Lightning in order to summon a monster with equal or less stars than it. And I know just which one to summon. Since we're already in her palace, I'll summon my Shining Arctic Queen to the field in attack mode!" Kristiann called as James's warrior disappeared into the aurora borealis overhead and Shining Arctic Queen came down from them with 2800 attack and 1500 defense. "That big production for another weaker monster? Get real!" Lavana mocked. "Believe me, this is as real as it gets. Because now I have one last card that'll end this duel with one attack." Kristiann revealed. "That's like totally not possible!" Lovrina exclaimed. "Oh it is. I activate Victory Alliance! Now I can combine the attack points of two of my monsters into one massive attack. So I'll combine the fiery power of Volcanic Queen with the icy power of Shining Arctic Queen and attack your Seiyaryu!" Kristiann commanded as the dueling queen's two queens joined hands and charged their energies together.

"Wait! I like totally still have my Cute Charm trap card!" Lovrina protested. "That doesn't matter because Shining Arctic Queen is a normal monster, and she's the one leading the attack. Now go, my two powerful queens and end this duel with arctic inferno attack!" Kristiann commanded as her two powerful monsters unleashed their power. Fire and ice mixed in a massive spiral burst of energy that connected with Lovrina's pink dragon, creating a massive blaze of energy that at last reducing their life points to 0, ending the duel. "That's what you get for being annoying." Kristiann said with a smile as all of the holograms vanished. "We like totally lost! That's so totally not cool!" Lovrina pouted as she sunk to the floor. "We did it!!" James exclaimed happily as he jumped over to where Kristiann was standing and gave her a huge hug. "Here, you can take this card back. There's only one queen around here." James remarked cutely as he tossed Volcanic Queen back to Lavana. "Argh! I ruined my make up for nothing! You'll pay for this, mark my words!" Lavana shouted as her and her sister ran off the arena floor. "We did pretty awesome, I'm not gonna lie. I couldn't have done it without you." Kristiann commented as her and James kissed quickly. The audience gave a loud 'aww' and even Pegasus who watched from a nearby balcony sniffled a little. "And that ends the first round of the preliminary tournament! We're going to take a fifteen minute break, but stick around, cause the dueling action has just begun!" The announcer Kemo shouted into the mike as the crowd cheered one last time and James and Kristiann walked off the arena floor proudly.


	7. Chapter 7: A Heated Start

Chapter 7- A Heated Start

"Attention duelists, it's time to hear a shout out from one of our fans! Pulled straight from the audience, it's Zach!" Kemo the announcer shouted from the center floor as he stood next to a short boy with short blonde hair and blue eyes. "So Zach, tell us, what do did you think about the last duel?" Kemo asked the boy. "Well I gotta tell ya, James and Kristiann are two of my best friends, so I knew they would win, especially against those two preppy annoying chicks." Zach commented. "And what do you think about the next duel? This is going to be Zane Truesdale's first duel in quite a long time. Do you still think he has what it takes?" Kemo questioned further. "I think so. I remember watching Zane on TV and I always looked up to him as a good duelist. Plus I think Becca will make a good partner for him." Zach answered. "Does that mean you think the team of Zane and Becca will win the next duel?" Kemo asked. "Yep, I have faith in them." Zach answered. "Well you heard it here, folks, Zane and Becca for the win! Thank you for your time Zach and enjoy the upcoming duel. The duel will begin in three minutes." Kemo concluded the interview as Zach walked back to his seat.

Meanwhile, James and Kristiann were walking back to the waiting room where Zane and Becca were. As the pair walked down the long hallway, the two teams crossed each other. "Hey, good duel, James and Kristiann! I knew you guys would beat those annoying girls!" Becca congratulated. "Thanks, Becca and good luck to you two in the next duel!" James replied with a thumbs up. "We'll do our best." Zane stated flatly in his emotionless voice as they each headed their respective ways. "So, any last thoughts before the duel?" Becca asked her partner as they walked down the hallway to the center arena stage. "Not really. Becca, I'm not nervous about this duel, but promise me this: you won't slow me down." Zane revealed. "Of course, Zane. You can say all you want, but deep down, this duel is making you a little nervous. After all, you haven't dueled professionally since you left the Underworld Deck behind. But don't worry, I got your back." Becca told her tag team partner encouragingly. "Thank you." Zane stated. "No problem. Now let's go do this." Becca ended the conversation as the team stepped out into the main arena floor.

"Attention duelists, welcome back to the preliminary tournament for the International Tag Team Championship! Our second duel is about to begin: Zane Truesdale and Becca Plazewski versus… Psyche and Hammer!" Kemo announced as both parties stepped out and stood on opposite sides of the stadium. "Those can't be their real names." Kemo added in a sort of whisper into the microphone. "They're not, but you must admit that they sound pretty awesome." One of the young men on the enemy side stated in an accented voice. His outfit was completely gray, even his hair, which fell to one side, covering up one of his eyes was a darker shade of the bland color. His eyes on the other hand were a piercing shade of yellow. His figure was thin and medium height and he looked rather slender in his lab coat like outfit. This strange looking man was dueling under the pseudonym of Psyche. His partner looked just as freaky looking. Unlike Psyche however, this man was bulging with rippling muscles so much that his plain white workout shirt was ripped in multiple places. He wore simple brown shorts and had straight up spike brown hair that was the same color as his eyes. Both of the strange looking young men carried a Kaiba Corp duel disk attached to their left arms.

"You guys ready to throw down?" The hulking man supposedly named Hammer asked in a deep, gruff voice as both of them activated their duel disks. "I was born ready." Zane stated emotionlessly as he too activated his academy issued duel disk. Becca did likewise as she too activated her Kaiba Corp duel disk. "Alright, now that everyone's ready, set both team's life points to 8000 and let's begin!" Kemo shouted much to the excitement of the packed stadium. "Then let's duel!" All four duelists shouted at the same time. "Wait…I'm having a vision! And it's telling me to go first! Since I can see the future, I already know what I'm going to draw." Psyche stated. "You mean you're psychic?" Becca asked. "Well duh, look at my name!" Psyche shouted. "I thought it stood for psycho." Zane remarked. "I'll show you!" Psyche retorted indignantly as he drew a card. "See I did draw exactly the card I knew I would. And now I can summon it: Doctor Cranium in defense mode." Psyche revealed as his midget doctor with a huge helmet emerged with 100 attack and defense. "When you started going on about having psychic powers, I thought had something good, but that monster only has 100 attack and defense points." Zane pointed out. "Looks can be deceiving, Mr. Truesdale. I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Psyche concluded ominously.

"Then I'll be one to put that to the test." Zane stated as he drew a card. "Well this seems awfully familiar. My two opponents are a guy in gray talking about seeing the future and a huge muscle man. Maybe by defeating two opponents who look like pivotal duelists from my former career, I can get back on my feet." Zane thought to himself as he drew a card. "Since you have a monster on the field and I have none, I can automatically summon my Cyber Dragon without a sacrifice." Zane stated as his machine dragon emerged with 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "And since that was a special summon, I can also summon my Cyber Phoenix in attack mode." Zane added as his cybernetic bird also emerged with 1200 attack and 1600 defense. "As long as my Cyber Phoenix is in play, you can't activate any magic or trap cards that target one of my machine monsters, making your facedown card useless. Now, Cyber Phoenix attack his Doctor Cranium!" Zane commanded as his bird unleashed a wave of fire at the good doctor, destroying it. "That's not only what I foresaw you doing, but it's also what I wanted you to do. You see, when Doctor Cranium is sent to the graveyard, I can pay up 800 life points and search my deck for any psychic monster and add it to my hand." Psyche revealed as his team's life points dropped to 7200 and he added the monster to his hand and reshuffled his deck. "That doesn't matter to me because now you're wide open for a direct attack, and I'm not holding anything back in this duel. Cyber Dragon, attack his life points directly with strident blaze!" Zane then commanded as his dragon shot a blast of energy at Psyche, reducing his life points to 5100. "A strong beginning from Zane Truesdale; he's still got it!" Kemo shouted as the fans screamed in applause. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn." Zane concluded.

"Then it's my turn, little man!" Hammer shouted as he drew a card. "And me summon my Ancient Gear Soldier in attack mode!" Hammer stated as his mechanical soldier emerged with 1300 attack and defense. "Now Ancient Gear Soldier, destroy Cyber Phoenix!" Hammer shouted as his mechanized warrior took aim with its machine gun and fired on Zane's monster. "Not so fast, I activate…" Zane began but was interrupted. "Think again, little man! When my Ancient Gear Soldier attacks, no magic or trap cards can be activated until after the attack is complete." Hammer countered as the gunfire hit its mark, destroying Zane's monster and reducing his life points to 7900. "Since you destroyed my Cyber Phoenix, I'm allowed to draw one card from my deck." Zane explained as he drew a card. "Big deal! My turn is done." Hammer concluded.

"Then I guess it's up to me." Becca stated as she drew a card. "And to start off my turn, I'll summon my Royal Expert Falconer in attack mode!" Becca called as her bird handler emerged with 1400 attack and 1000 defense. "That monster doesn't look so tough." Psyche pointed out. "But my turn's not over just yet. Now I activate the spell card Frontline Base. As long as this card is in play, I can special summon one union monster from my hand every turn. And this turn, I'll summon my Great Hunter Falcon Kirrendal in attack mode." Becca explained as her majestic bird of prey emerged with 700 attack and 300 defense. "And because Kirrendal's union partner happens to be my Royal Expert Falconer, she can equip herself to him, which boosts his attack points by 500." Becca explained as the falcon came to rest on the outstretched arm of its master, raising its attack points to 1900. "Now my combined monsters are a force to be reckoned with. Falconer, destroy Ancient Gear Soldier!" Becca commanded as her falconer let loose its falcon, which soared towards Hammer's monster, destroying it and reducing their life points to 4500. "But that's not all. When my Falconer is equipped with his best friend, he can attack twice in the same turn." Becca stated as her falcon circled around and made a nose dive for Psyche. "Hmm, I knew you would do that, so I had a trap ready. I activate my Psychic Barrier trap, which allows me to negate your attack if I remove from play one psychic monster from my graveyard." Psyche countered in a very blasé manner. Becca's falcon turned sharply at the force field that emerged around her target and simply returned to her master's arm. "In that case, I lay this card facedown and end my turn." Becca concluded.

"Attention duelists, things are really heating up fast in this duel! It's only been one round and the action is intense! You don't want to miss a minute of this, so please stay tuned!" The announcer shouted as the crowd applauded the brawl that was only just beginning.


	8. Chapter 8: Staring Down the Barrel

Chapter 8- Staring Down the Barrel

"It's my turn again, so look out!" Psyche stated as he drew a card. "This monster will do nicely. Of course I knew I would draw it, but now I summon my Pandaborg in attack mode!" Psyche called as his robotic panda bear emerged with 1700 attack and 1400 defense. "That's… cute I guess." Becca commented. "Well, cuteness isn't exactly my forte, but power is. Well, I mean psychic power is, but power is too." Psyche fumbled. "At any rate, I equip my Pandaborg with my Psychic Sword magic card, which increases my monster's attack points by the difference in our life points, if I have lower life points of course. Last I checked, that gives my monster a 2800 point boost, but since the max boost my spell gives is 2000, I'll just take what I can get." Psyche stated as his robotic panda's attack points rose to 3700. "And now that my monster has all the power it needs, Pandaborg, destroy Zane's Cyber Dragon with psychic panda crush!" Psyche commanded as his robot charged forward. "Your monster may be powerful, but I have a trap card. I activate Attack Reflector Unit, which allows me to sacrifice my Cyber Dragon in order to summon Cyber Barrier Dragon." Zane countered as his machine dragon was transformed into the new, reinforced machine dragon with 800 attack and 2800 defense. "I'm afraid your new dragon is still just as weak as the old one, so there's no chance of it surviving my Pandaborg's attack." Psyche stated. "That's where you're wrong. My Cyber Barrier Dragon has a special ability that lets it block an attack once per turn, so your attack is negated." Zane explained as his dragon created a force field from receptors around its head, blocking Psyche's attack.

"Well whatever, I foresee your inevitable defeat. I play one card facedown and end my turn." Psyche concluded. "Then it's my move again." Zane stated flatly as he drew a card. "I activate Future Fusion. This allows me to send monsters from my deck to the graveyard and then in two turns, I can summon a fusion of them." Zane explained as he sent two Cyber Dragons to his graveyard. "But in the mean time, I activate my other facedown card, Call of the Haunted. This allows me to bring back my Cyber Dragon in attack mode." Zane explained as his favorite dragon emerged again with 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "Next, I summon my Armored Cybern in attack mode and equip it as a union monster to my Cyber Dragon." Zane added as the jest like machine attached itself to his Cyber Dragon. "And that does what for you? Since my Pandaborg holds the Psychic Sword, he can't be touched by your little toy dragon." Psyche taunted in his typical blasé manner. "I beg to differ. By using the special effect of my Armored Cybern, I can decrease the attack points of my Cyber Dragon by 1000 and destroy one monster on the field. And I'll use it to destroy your Pandaborg!" Zane explained as his Cyber Dragon's attack points dropped to 1100 and its equipped machine fired two charges of electric energy at Psyche's monster, destroying it in a blaze.

"Not bad, but by destroying my Pandaborg, you've activated its special ability. Now I have the option of giving up 800 life points and summon a level four psychic monster from my hand or deck. And I'll think I'll take that option and summon my Destructotron in attack mode!" Psyche explained as his menacing robot emerged with 1600 attack and 400 defense and his life points dropped to 3700. "I might not have a strong enough monster right now to defeat your Destructotron, but your partner's life points are still wide open." Zane pointed out. "Cyber Dragon, attack Hammer's life points directly!" Zane commanded as his dragon shot two blast of lightning from its Armored Cybern equipment. "Nice try, little man, but that ain't gonna work here. All I have to do is discard my Ancient Gear Shield from my hand and I can negate all your attacks this turn." Hammer countered as he discarded his card and Zane's attack made contact, but did nothing. "I end my turn." Zane concluded. "Wait! Before you do that, the effect of my Destructotron activates. Since it's the only psychic monster on my side of the field, it's automatically destroyed." Psyche stated as his menacing robot self-destructed. "Wait, you knew your monster had that effect. So why would you summon a monster you know would be destroyed?" Becca asked confused. "Because now I can get maximum results from this trap card: Metaphysical Regeneration! Now I gain 1000 life points for each psychic monster that was sent to the graveyard this turn. And since I lost two, I gain 2000 life points." Psyche explained as his life points rose to 5700. "Even though you just gained a lot of life points, you've left yourself wide open for a direct attack." Becca pointed out. "That may be, but it's still my partner's turn now, and I predict he has something that will protect us both." Psyche stated.

"That's right little girl, look out!" Hammer shouted as he drew a card. "First me activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards." Hammer began as he drew his cards. "Then me activate Ancient Gear Workshop, which lets me bring back one Ancient Gear monster to my hand. And me pick Ancient Gear Soldier!" Hammer continued. "But that's not all! First me activate my Ancient Gear Castle and summon him back in attack mode!" Hammer called as his mechanical soldier remerged with 1300 attack and defense and a huge castle appeared behind Hammer. "With my castle in play, all Ancient Gear monsters gain 300 attack points." Hammer explained as his soldier's attack points rose to 1600. "Next, me boost the punching power of my Soldier even further with my Big Bang Shot equip spell. This boosts his attack points by 400!" Hammer added as his Soldier's attack points rose to 2000. "Now, Ancient Gear Soldier, take aim at Zane's weakened Cyber Dragon." Hammer told his mechanical warrior. "Your monster may have more attack points, but I can still block your attack with the special ability of my Cyber Barrier Dragon." Zane pointed out. "Who said me was attacking just yet? First me activate Smashing Ground! This card destroys the monster on your side of the field with the highest defense points! So say goodbye to your Cyber Barrier Dragon, little man!" Hammer explained as the ground opened up beneath Zane's monster and swallowed it up. "Now you're wide open! Ancient Gear Soldier, attack Zane's Cyber Dragon with Big Bang Shot attack!" Hammer commanded as his soldier shot a massive blast from its machine gun at Zane's monster. "Because my Cyber Dragon was equipped with Armored Cybern, only the equipped monster is destroyed, so my Cyber Dragon is safe." Zane explained as his Armored Cybern was destroyed. "Yes, but your life points aren't." Hammer pointed out as Zane and Becca's life points dropped to 7000. "Me set one card facedown and end my turn." Hammer concluded.

"Then it's my turn to shake things up again." Becca stated as she drew a card. "And I've got just the monster to use now: Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei in attack mode!" Becca called as her beast-warrior emerged with 2300 attack and 0 defense. "Now with two attacking monsters on my field, I'm going to wipe you all out. First, Indomitable Fighter, destroy Ancient Gear Soldier!" Becca commanded as her satyr warrior charged forward. "Me activate my facedown card: Gears of Evolution! This lets me search my deck for an Ancient Gear monster and add it to my hand. So me add another Ancient Gear Shield and you know what that means. Me can discard it to negate all your attacks." Hammer countered as he discarded his card, rendering all of Becca's attacks useless. "In that case, I play one card facedown and end my turn." Becca concluded. "Hmm, hmm, of course you do, I knew you would." Psyche stated as he drew a card. "You know, this whole psychic thing is getting kind of old." Becca stated.

"Then allow me to put you out of your misery. I activate the magic card Brain Control! At the cost of 800 life points, I can take control over one of your monsters for one turn. And I choose Zane's Cyber Dragon." Psyche explained as his life points dropped to 4900 and Zane's monster moved to Psyche's side of the field. "Now I'll sacrifice your Dragon in order to summon my Overdrive Teleporter!" Psyche called as his look-alike monster emerged with 2100 attack and 1200 defense. "And he's got a special ability too. By offering up 2000 life points, I can summon two level 3 psychic monsters from my deck. So I'll use that effect to summon both my Mind Protector and Psychic Commander in defense mode." Psyche explained as his life points dropped to 2900 and his two monsters appeared: Psychic Commander with 1400 attack and 800 defense and Mind Protector with 0 attack and 2200 defense. "And now with all these monsters under my control, I can summon a monster from the future!" Psyche exclaimed ominously. "How can you do that?" Zane asked. "Simple, by sending both my Overdrive Teleporter and Psychic Commander to the graveyard, I can synchro summon a new monster." Psyche explained. "So merge together my two monsters and bring forth my ultimate creature: Hyper Psychic Blaster!" Psyche called out dramatically as his two monsters melded together to create the new futuristic psychic monster with 3000 attack and 2500 defense. "You're staring down the barrels of the ultimate psychic monster, and believe me, the future I see for you is looking grim!" Psyche laughed as his monster pulsed with otherworldly energy and aimed both of its guns at its enemies.


	9. Chapter 9: Reversal

Chapter 9- Reversal

"With my Hyper Psychic Blaster on the field, you're done for! But just to be safe, I activate my Enemy Controller spell card. This lets me switch the battle position of your Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei from attack to defense mode." Psyche explained as Becca's monster switched to defense mode. "Why would you want to do that? Now I won't lose any life points from my monster being destroyed." Becca asked confused. "Normally, yes that would be the case. However, whenever my Hyper Psychic Blaster attacks a monster in defense mode, the difference is taken out of your life points. Let her have it!" Psyche commanded as his futuristic monster shot a ray blast at Becca's Fighter, destroying it and reducing their life points to 4000. "But that's not all. Not only did you lose 3000 life points from my attack, but my Blaster's other effect allows me to gain the same amount of life points that you just lost." Psyche explained as his life points rose to 5900. "I lay one card facedown and end my turn. That's all I need to crush you losers." Psyche concluded. "I beg to differ." Zane stated as he drew a card. "Now don't forget, Zane, that my Mind Protector has a special ability. As long as it remains on the field, all non-psychic monsters with less than 2000 attack points on your side of the field can not attack. But don't let that deter you. Go right ahead and make your last pathetic move." Psyche explained mockingly.

"I will, but it certainly won't be my last move. I summon my Cyber Kirin in defense mode." Zane stated as his machine dog emerged with 300 attack and 800 defense. "That ends my turn." Zane concluded confidently, but showing no emotion. "That's all, little man? That's nothing!" Hammer exclaimed. "It's all I need. Now go." Zane urged. "Me think me will!" The muscle man retorted as he drew a card. "Ha! Just like my best buddy here, now I can summon my ultimate monster. I sacrifice my Ancient Gear Soldier and Ancient Gear Castle in order to summon my Ancient Gear Golem!" Hammer exclaimed. "But wait, you can't sacrifice a magic card!" Becca objected. "Normally that's true, little girl. But if me am summoning an Ancient Gear monster, than me can sacrifice my Castle. Now arise Golem!" Hammer explained as his mighty machine emerged with 3000 attack and defense. "Now me activate Ancient Gear Explosive! This lets me deal damage to your life points equal to the attack points of one ancient gear monster on my side of the field. So get ready for 3000 points of damage, little man and girl!" Hammer exclaimed. "Not quite. By sacrifice my Cyber Kirin, I can negate all effect damage done to us this turn, making your Explosive worthless." Zane countered as his cyber dog disappeared. "Ha! That's exactly what me was hoping for little man! Because now you're wide open for a direct attack. Ancient Gear Golem, squash him with mechanized melee!" Hammer commanded as his Golem raised its fist to Zane and sent a shock wave of punching energy at him, reducing his life points to 1000.

"A complete reversal for the team of Psyche and Hammer! This duel is full of twists and turns; who knows who'll come out on top?!" Kemo the announcer shouted above the roar of the crowd. "Zane, are you okay?" Becca asked her partner compassionately. "I'm fine. I've dealt with worse." Zane replied flatly. "Ha, me end my turn! Now there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop us!" Hammer laughed. "I don't think so! I'll turn this around, no problem!" Becca said confidently as she drew a card. "Excellent! With all these powerful monsters on the field, I'm feeling a little left out, so I think I'll change that. I activate the spell card Apotheosis! This lets me search my deck for a high level warrior monster and add it to my hand." Becca called as she looked through her deck. "That's very nice and all, but surely you can't summon it just yet." Psyche pointed out. "Wrong, by separating the union of my Falconer and Falcon, I have two monsters perfect for sacrificing. So I'll offer both of them up in order to summon my favorite monster: Legendary Heroine Summer!" Becca called as her auburn haired female warrior emerged with 2600 attack and 2300 defense. "And she has a special ability. Whenever she's summoned to the field, I gain life points equal to the attack points of a monster on the field. Since both of your monsters have 3000 attack points, it doesn't matter who I choose. I guess I'll choose Ancient Gear Golem and gain back the life points I lost last turn." Becca explained as her life points rose to 4000. "But my turn's not over yet. Next I'll activate my facedown card: Crossing the Threshold. This allows me to cut the attack points of my monster in half and attack you directly. Summer, show Psyche here what you're made of!" Becca called as her warrior flew forward and slashed Psyche with her sword, reducing their life points to 4600. "I play one card facedown and end my turn." Becca concluded.

"You think you're clever just cause you had a kind of good move? Well I'll make sure that doesn't happen again by crushing you right here and now!" Psyche shouted as he drew a card. "If I wasn't a genius, I'd have my Hyper Psychic Blaster destroy your sorry excuse for a warrior. But since I am and I've foreseen that you have a trap ready if I attack your monster, I'll attack Zane here directly. Go, Hyper Psychic Blaster, take him out!" Psyche commanded as his favorite robotic monster shot a ray from its twin blasters directly at Zane. "Obviously your psychic powers aren't what they appear to be or you'd know that my trap card is more versatile than you predicted. In fact, I can activate it even when you attack my partner and I'll think I'll activate it now. Go Negate Attack!" Becca countered as her trap card opened a vortex in the airspace in front of Zane and absorbed the blaster shot before it reached him. "As the name implies, my trap card negates your attack and ends your battle phase." Becca explained. "It doesn't matter, there's nothing you can do! You're only stalling the inevitable! I end my turn so you can make your last!" Psyche lost his cool. "Thanks Becca." Zane said emotionlessly, but gratefully to his partner. "No problem, Zane. Now finish them off." Becca replied as Zane nodded and drew a card.

"Psyche, you said this would be my last turn and it looks like at least one of your predictions came true. This will be my last turn, but it'll end in your defeat. It's been two turns since I activated my Future Fusion card, so now my Cyber Twin Dragon is summoned to the field." Zane explained as the time warp finally caught up to them and Zane's two headed machine dragon emerged with 2800 attack and 2100 defense. "Big deal! Your monster is still weaker than both of ours!" Psyche pointed out. "That may be, but he's not the one I'm attack with. I summon my Proto-Cyber Dragon and then activate my De-Fusion card letting me split my Cyber Twin Dragon into the two Cyber Dragons used to create it." Zane explained as his weaker cyber dragon with 1100 attack and 600 defense stood next to his two stronger Cyber Dragons with 2100 attack and 1600 defense on his side of the field. "I'm waiting for the part where you actually play something worthwhile." Psyche mocked. "Then wait no more because now I play the final card of this duel. With three Cyber Dragons on my side of the field, I activate Power Bond to fuse them together to create the ultimate Cyber End Dragon!" Zane called out as his three dragons merged together to create the great three headed machine dragon with 4000 attack and 2800 defense. "And because I summoned him using Power Bond, my dragon's attack points are doubled; the catch being that I have to give up 4000 life points at the end of my turn. But that's not a problem because you'll lose way before then." Zane explained as his dragon's attack points doubled to 8000. "No, wait! This isn't what I predicted!" Psyche freaked out. "Oh well. Cyber End Dragon attack Hyper Psychic Blaster and end this duel!" Zane commanded as his dragon unleashed its fury on Psyche's monster, destroying it and consuming both Psyche and Hammer in the blaze, finally reducing their life points to 0.


	10. Chapter 10: Love Interests

Chapter 10- Love Interests

"And the winner of this duel is the team of Zane and Becca!" Kemo the announcer shouted as the holograms faded and the audience gave a standing ovation. "Alright, we did it!" Becca exclaimed. "No, this isn't what I predicted! This can't be!" Psyche shouted angrily as he fell to his knees. "Just face it Psyche, you're not psychic. Get over it." Zane told the loser coldly. "It's okay, Psyche man, we'll just get 'em next time. Let's go." Hammer encouraged as Psyche stood up indignantly. "I'll be back some day, just you wait!" Psyche promised as he stormed off the arena floor with his best friend following. "Just let them go. Who knows, this defeat probably did them some good. Besides, they're just comic relief characters anyways." Becca said to her partner, who nodded in reply, with a very faint smile. "Attention duelists, the final round of this preliminary tournament will begin in exactly fifteen minutes! Be back in your seats by that time. You don't want to miss a minute of this action!" Kemo shouted as Zane and Becca walked off the arena floor.

"You were pretty cool back there with your Cyber End Dragon, Zane." Becca complimented as they walked down the long hallway. "Thank you. You weren't so bad yourself." Zane returned the compliment. They stopped walking for a moment and looked at each other. "Alright, let's keep going." Becca urged as they started walking again towards the rest room. When they arrived, they saw James and Kristiann watching the TV that was in the room. "That was an awesome duel, guys! We saw the whole thing back here." James told them as he stood up. "Thanks, we did our best." Becca replied. "Yea, you two make an awesome team." Kristiann pointed out. Zane and his partner looked at each other, and then turned quickly away. "Thank you, but don't forget; we're going to be your next opponents." Zane reminded. "True enough, but don't worry; we're ready for you." James replied with a grin. "We'll I'm not ready yet, I have to go to the bathroom. Kristiann, do you want to come with me?" Becca asked. "Sure. We'll be right back guys." Kristiann replied as the two girls walked off.

"Hey, Kristiann, can I ask you something?" Becca asked sheepishly as the two walked into the large bathroom. "Of course, what's up?" Kristiann replied. "Well, to be honest, I think I'm starting to have feelings for Zane. But I don't know what to do. You're really happy with James, so do you have any advice for me and Zane? I mean I can't just tell him about it, right?" Becca asked. "Well you're right about not telling him. In my experience, I've learned that actions speak louder than words. So instead of telling him that you have feelings for him, just try to be nice and friendly with him and see what happens. If he feels the same way back, then he'll respond and something might happen." Kristiann told her. "So flirt with him until something good happens?" Becca asked to clarify. "Not necessarily flirt with him. Zane doesn't exactly seem like the flirty type. Just be yourself and maybe a tiny bit affectionate and he's bound to open up." Kristiann replied. "You think that'll work? That doesn't sound like bad advice. After all, this tournament is a great chance to get to know him." Becca stated. "Well, that is assuming you have a tournament to compete in. After all, you have to get through James and I first, and don't think we're going easy on you." Kristiann said challengingly. "True enough. Thanks, Kristiann." Becca thanked. "No problem. And remember, be yourself and Zane is sure to like you for who you are. If something is meant to happen, then it'll happen." Kristiann gave her final advice. Becca nodded in reply. "Now let's get going, we don't want to be late for our duel." Kristiann urged as the two girls left the bathroom.

Meanwhile…

"You know, Zane, I gotta tell you that you are one awesome duelist. I've watched you since the pro leagues, and you still got it." James said in admiration. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself." Zane returned the compliments. "It's not going to be easy to beat you in this duel coming up, but I think Kristiann and I are up to the challenge." James said confidently. "I'm looking forward to a good fight." Zane stated as sort of a compliment. There was a moment of silence and then James spoke again. "You know Zane, you and Becca seem to make a good team. I know you're not used to this whole tag team thing, but surely you like it in some way." James hinted at something. "It's not bad to have a partner to duel with. Plus it makes things more interesting to have two opponents to take down." Zane responded. There was another moment of silence and then James asked the tough question. "How do you feel about Becca? She's a good person you know, in both dueling and in life." James asked point blank. Zane was silent for a moment before giving his answer. "She's an admirable duelist and a worthy partner." Was Zane's answer. "Just a good dueling partner? Come on, Zane you can tell me if you're feeling something else." James offered. "I told you she's a good partner to duel with, and maybe even we can be good friends someday. That is all." Zane stated. "Your face tells me otherwise. But don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Remember if you ever need advice on anything, don't be afraid to ask." James offered. There was silence for another moment. "Thank you." Zane said flatly. "Don't mention it. You can put on the whole tough guy attitude, but deep down, I know you're a caring dude." James revealed. Zane looked like he was about to say something, but then shut his mouth and said something else.

"They're coming back." Zane pointed out as Kristiann and Becca approached. "Welcome back." James said to the girls. "Hey baby, it's getting almost to our dueling time." Kristiann pointed out to her partner as all of them looked at the clock. "You're right, we should get going." James urged as the four of them headed for the door. "Yes, as an old friend once told me, it's time to get our games on." Zane stated emotionlessly as they walked out the door and walked down the long hallway to the arena floor.

"Attention duelists! It's time to begin the final round of our preliminary tournament!" Kemo shouted, much to the excitement of the packed stadium. James and Kristiann stood on one side of the large arena floor, while Zane and Becca stood on the other. "Before we begin, our host and organizer of this tournament Maximillion Pegasus would like to say a few words." Kemo passed the microphone to his boss who still sat up on a balcony overlooking the arena. "Greetings, ladies and gentleman. This is the final round of the preliminary tournament for the International Tag Team Championship." Pegasus began. "To remind you of the stakes, the winning team in this duel will advance to the actual Championship, which will take place on Duelist Kingdom Island. Only one team will emerge victorious, but that doesn't mean we all can't be friends. After all, the entire point of this tournament is unity. So before we begin, I'd like both teams to meet center stage and shake hands before the duel." Pegasus commanded in a friendly tone as James shook hands with Zane and Kristiann did likewise with Becca.

"James, don't think I'm holding anything back in this duel." Zane reminded his rival. "I would expect nothing less. Let's have ourselves a good game." James replied. Kristiann and Becca shared similar sentiments and then both teams turned away. "You ready partner?" Becca asked with a smile. "I was born ready." Zane answered with none. The four duelists each walked to their respective corners and activated their duel disks. "If everyone is ready, then let the duel commence!" Pegasus kicked things off as both teams' life points were set to 8000. "Let's duel!" They all shouted at the same time as they drew their opening hands.


	11. Chapter 11: Firin’ Mah Lazer

Chapter 11- Firin' Mah Lazer

"I'll kick off this duel, so look out!" James stated confidently as he drew a card. "And I think this card is a fitting way to begin. I summon my Bountiful Artemis in attack mode!" James called as his sky fairy emerged with 1600 attack and 1700 defense. "Hmm, that monster has more defense points than attack points though. So why would he play it in attack mode?" Zane thought to himself. "I then set two cards facedown and end my turn. You're up." James concluded. "James, I told you I'm not holding anything back, and believe me, I'm not." Zane stated as he drew a card. "Since you have a monster on your side of the field, I can special summon my Cyber Dragon in attack mode!" Zane called as his machine dragon emerged with a flash of light and 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "And since that was a special summon, I can also call forth my Proto- Cyber Dragon." Zane added as his lesser machine dragon emerged with 1100 attack and 600 defense. "Did you honestly think I would fall for such a simple trick? I know you played a weak monster in attack mode because you have a trap ready for me when I do attack. But I'll break your trick with the spell card Cyber Energy Pulse. This card destroys one magic or trap card on the field for every Cyber Dragon I have on my side of the field. And since I have two, I can destroy both of your facedown cards." Zane explained.

"I was actually hoping you would try to destroy my trap and that's why I set another one. I activate Spell Shield Type-8! Now, all I have to do is send a spell card from my hand to the graveyard and I can negate your Cyber Energy Pulse." James countered as he discarded a card and negated Zane's magic card. "Not bad, James, but don't think a single trap card is going to delay me. Cyber Dragon, attack Bountiful Artemis with strident blast!" Zane commanded as his dragon shot a blast of fiery energy at James's fairy. "Well you were right about me having another trap card waiting. I activate Magic Cylinder! This takes your attack and shoots it right back at your life points!" James countered as a floating jar absorbed Zane's attack and a second jar shot the blast directly at Zane himself, reducing his life points to 5900. "I also get to draw one card due to the special ability of my Bountiful Artemis. But the best part is: my monster is safe." James stated confidently as he drew a card.

"That's what you think, but I have other plans. I activate the spell card Photon Generator Unit! This lets me sacrifice both of my Cyber Dragons in order to call forth Cyber Laser Dragon!" Zane explained as his new, sleeker dragon emerged with 2400 attack and 1800 defense. "And don't forget, my Cyber Laser Dragon can still attack this turn. And with no facedown cards left, your monster is forfeit. Cyber Laser Dragon, destroy Bountiful Artemis!" Zane commanded as his dragon shot a laser beam from its tail that destroyed James' monster and reduced his life points to 7200. "I'll end my turn with a facedown of my own." Zane concluded. "Then it's my turn." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "Zane's Cyber Dragons are pretty tough and he's able to summon them out pretty quickly. I need to find a way to stop them. This card should do I think." Kristiann thought to herself as she looked over her hand. "I set one card facedown and summon my Shining Angel in defense mode. That'll do for now." Kristiann called as her angel emerged with 1400 attack and 800 defense.

"That's it? Come on, you can do better than that." Becca encouraged as she drew a card. "But then again, it's hard to do better than this. I summon Legendary Heroine Magenta!" Becca called as her aptly named female warrior emerged with 1700 attack and defense. "Now, Magenta, attack her Shining Angel!" Becca commanded as her warrior shot a shock wave of energy from her blade at Kristiann's monster. "Is this better? I activate my trap card Wall of Revealing Light! But in order to activate it, I have to give up some life points." Kristiann began as her facedown card activated as she turned to her partner. "Do what you gotta do." James affirmed with a nod of his head. "Alright then, I give up 3000 of our life points." Kristiann stated as her life points dropped to 4200. "What?! Why would you give up so many life points?" Becca asked, shocked and confused. "Because now, you can't attack us with any monster that has less than 3000 attack points." Kristiann explained as a wall of pure light rose up from the ground and absorbed Becca's still incoming attack. "Not bad, Kristiann, but by playing that trap card, you've activated Magenta's special ability. See, Magenta is a tough and determined girl, so by having a continuous trap card on your side of the field, she steps up her game a bit, giving her an extra 400 attack points." Becca explained as her warrior's attack points rose to 2100. "But Magenta's deeper than that. When she has her own continuous magic or trap cards at her back, she gets another power boost. So to give her that, I activate the magic card Code of Honor!" Becca called as her magic card was put into play. "Not only does this give my monster an extra 300 attack points, but it also keeps monsters from attacking on the turn that they're summoned, unless they're special summoned of course." Becca explained as Magenta's attack points rose to 2400.

"And with that, I end my turn." Becca concluded. "Then I'll let my knights show you what that code of honor is all about." James said as he drew a card. "Both of your monsters are pretty tough, but I have a pretty good defense. I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode." James called as his huge shield-wielding warrior emerged with 100 attack and 2600 defense. "Granted my monster can't attack, but then again, why would it? That's kinda why I played it in defense mode. Anyways, I'll also play a facedown and end my turn." James concluded. "Somehow, I expected better of you, James." Zane stated flatly as he drew a card. "And what's that supposed to mean? I've set up a pretty good defense." James said defensively. "Yes, but you've forgotten about my Cyber Laser Dragon's special ability. Once per turn, I can destroy one monster on the field that has an attack or defense power greater than the attack power of my Dragon. And your Big Shield Gardna fits the bill perfectly." Zane explained as his dragon fired a laser beam that ripped through James's monster's shield and destroyed it.

"I might not have a monster now, but you still can't get past our Wall of Revealing Light." James pointed out. "That may be true now, but I'll have exactly the card I need in two turns after I activate Different Dimension Capsule. With this card, I take one card from my deck and remove it from play. But in two turns, I get that card back in my hand." Zane explained as he searched for a card and placed it in the capsule, which disappeared on its journey to the future. "I set one more card facedown and end my turn. Your time is limited, so make your move." Zane concluded in a determined tone.


	12. Chapter 12: Noble Knights

Chapter 12- Noble Knights

"Time may be short, but our skills are long. Or something like that." James tried to come up with a clever line. "That pun didn't work, but my move will." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "Ha, I've got the perfect comeback move right here. I activate the spell card Tribute Doll. This lets me sacrifice my Shining Angel on the field in order to summon a level seven monster from my hand. And I choose my Shining Arctic Queen!" Kristiann called as her angel was replaced with her favorite icy queen with 2800 attack and 1500 defense. "Alright! She got her favorite monster out!" James exclaimed happily. "That's right, and since that was a special summon, she can attack this turn. Shining Arctic Queen, attack Zane's Cyber Laser Dragon!" Kristiann commanded as her queen shot a blast of arctic light energy at Zane's monster, destroying it and reducing Zane's life points to 5500. "Hmph, not bad." Zane commented. "Thanks, I end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Don't worry, Zane, I'll avenge you." Becca stated as she drew a card. "To start, I'll activate the spell card Graceful Charity. This lets me draw three cards, but then I have to discard two." Becca began her turn by drawing and discarding her cards.

"And now I can activate the ritual spell card Synthesis Spell! All I have to do is send my Ancient One of the Deep Forest from my hand to the graveyard and I can special summon Lycanthrope to the field in attack mode!" Becca called as her wolf monster emerged with 2400 attack and 1800 defense. "That wasn't a bad move, but remember my Wall of Revealing Light is still in play. And since both of your monsters have less than 3000 attack points, they can't get past." Kristiann reminded. "That's what you think, but with this magic card, both of my monsters will have more than enough attack points. I activate the spell card Spirit Companions! As long as this card remains face-up on the field, if two monsters have the exact same amount of attack points, they gain attack points equal to half of their attack points. In other words, since Magenta and Lycanthrope both have 2400 attack points they both gain 1200 points." Becca explained as both of her monsters attack points rose to 3600. "And since my monsters now have more than 3000 attack points, they can get right past your Wall and attack. First up, Magenta attack Kristiann's Shining Arctic Queen!" Becca commanded as her warrior was about to draw her sword. "Not so fast, Becca. I'll protect my lady with this trap card: A Hero Emerges! Now you have to pick a random card from my hand, and if it's a monster card, then it's automatically summoned to the field. So make your pick." James explained as he held up his hand. "I pick the card on the far right." Becca pointed.

"Excellent choice! Now I can summon Bee Knight to the field!" James exclaimed as his insect warrior emerged with 1600 attack and 800 defense. "Well that was cool and all, but my monster is still attacking." Becca stated. "That's what you think, but my Bee Knight has a special ability. If he's special summoned to the field during my opponent's turn, all attacks go directly towards him. And the best part is, he also can't be destroyed in battle this turn." James explained as Magenta unleashed her shock wave from her sword, which redirected and made contact against James's knight, reducing his life points to 2200. "What did that really do for you, James? Becca still has another attack." Zane pointed out. "He's right, Lycanthrope can still attack. And I think he will." Becca called as her werewolf lashed out at James's Bee Knight, reducing his life points even further to 200. "James!" Kristiann shouted to her partner. "James, that move was pointless, you've lost too many life points, and for what to protect Kristiann's monster?" Zane shouted at the smiling James. "Exactly, I would do anything to protect my queen." James stated. "You mean, you did all that just to protect my monster? Thank you, James." Kristiann breathed. "Like I said, I would do anything to protect my lady. But it also helps that my Bee Knight has another special ability: Any battle damage it takes this turn is also taken out of my opponent's life points too." James laughed. "But that means…" Becca began. "That's right, you guys lose 4000 life points." James laughed again as his monster shot a stinger at both opponents, dropping Zane and Becca's life points to 1500.

"Good job, James. You protected me and dealt out damage too, very nice." Kristiann complemented. "Anytime, my lady." James smiled with a thumbs up. "You two are so freakin' cute, you know that? I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Becca ended her turn. "Alright, then I've gotta end this duel quick. We still did lose a lot of life points this turn, so I've gotta make up for it, now." James stated as he drew a card. "I'll start off my turn with a Graceful Charity card of my own, letting me draw three cards and then ditching two." James explained. "Now I have exactly what I need to end this duel once and for all! Why? Because I've just drawn my favorite monster! But in order to summon him, I have to remove one light and one dark monster from my graveyard from play." James explained. "But you don't have any dark monsters in your graveyard." Zane pointed out. "I do now. Since I just sent my Cyber Raider to the graveyard with Graceful Charity, I can remove it and my Bountiful Artemis from play in order to summon Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning!" James exclaimed happily as light surrounded his side of the field and his grand warrior emerged with 3000 attack and 2500 defense. "Alright, now you've got your best monster out, James!" Kristiann exclaimed. "Exactly, now let's see what he can do. Black Luster Soldier, attack Zane's life points directly and end this duel!" James commanded as his warrior drew its mighty sword and dashed forward towards its target.


	13. Chapter 13: Mortal Combat

Chapter 13- Mortal Combat

"You've done well to summon your strongest monster, James, but he's not enough. I activate the trap card Fusion Guard! All I have to do now I send fusion monster from my extra deck to the graveyard and I can negate your attack." Zane explained as he sent his Cyber Twin Dragon to the graveyard and a barrier of energy blocked James' attack. "Good block, Zane, but I'll get you next time. I set one card facedown and end my turn." James concluded. "Unfortunately for you, there won't be a next time." Zane said determined as he drew a card. "Since two turns have passed since I played my Different Dimension Capsule, the card I removed from play is now sent to my hand." Zane explained as he added the card to his hand. "And I'll activate it right away, after I summon another Cyber Dragon from my hand." Zane stated as his signature machine dragon emerged with 2100 attack and 1600 defense.

"Now I activate the spell card Overload Fusion! With this card, I can remove from play any and all machine monsters in my field or graveyard in order to summon a monster of unparalleled strength. I remove from my field and graveyard two Cyber Dragons, Proto-Cyber Dragon, Cyber Laser Dragon, and Cyber Twin Dragon in order to summon Chimeratech Overdragon!" Zane shouted as the mighty hydra-like machine dragon emerged behind him with 4000 attack and defense. "Whoa jeez, that monster is tough." James commented. "More than you know. Chimeratech Overdragon's attack points are equal to the amount of monsters I used to summon it times 800. And since I used five, his attack points are 4000." Zane explained. "But there's even more than that. My new dragon can attack five times per turn. But once is more than enough to wipe you out." Zane added. "That's what he thinks, but my facedown card will change all that." James thought to himself as he looked at the levitating card on the field. "But I'm not going to chance having my monster destroyed by whatever facedown card you left me. Becca, activate it now!" Zane shouted as Becca gave a nod.

"I activate the trap card Last Turn!" Becca shouted dramatically as she revealed her own facedown card. "Here's how it works: We each get to choose one monster on our side of the field and our two monsters will do battle. Then, whoever's monster is left standing at the end of the battle is automatically the winner. Oh, and this card also destroys all card on the field besides our two monsters." Becca explained. "This is it, baby, which monster should we use." Kristiann whispered to her partner. "Don't worry my queen, my Black Luster Soldier will protect us." James affirmed. "Alright, I hope you have a plan. We choose Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning!" Kristiann stated. "And we choose Chimeratech Overdragon." Zane stated. "Alright then, all other cards on the field are automatically destroyed." Becca reminded them as all of Becca's, Kristiann's, and James's facedown card were all sent to the graveyard. "Attention duelists! It looks like an intense round of mortal combat will decide the outcome of this fiery duel!" Kemo the announcer shouted as the packed stadium gave a mighty roar.

"Then let's finish this! Chimeratech Overdragon, destroy Black Luster Soldier!" Zane commanded as he pointed towards James's knight. His machine hydra let out a roar from its multiple heads and shot five blasts of energy directly as James's warrior. "Bring it on, Zane. Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning, take him head on!" James commanded with equal fervor as his monster's attack points rose to 4000. "What?! How did your monster suddenly gain 1000 attack points?" Zane asked, shocked and confused. "Because when Becca activated Last Turn and sent all cards on the field to the graveyard, she also destroyed my facedown card. You were just unfortunate to have it be my Quest for Excalibur spell card. Normally I could use it to search for an equip spell card, but since you destroyed it while it was facedown on the field, one monster on my side of the field gains 1000 attack points. And all of those points were transferred to my Black Luster Soldier." James explained as his warrior's sword began to shine. "But that means our monsters have equal attack points!" Zane pointed out. "It would appear so. Now let's see who can come out on top. Black Luster Soldier, let him have it!" James exclaimed as his knight jumped right into the incoming blasts. In a dramatic moment, James's favorite warrior stabbed Zane's machine hydra, but not before Chimeratech Overdragon scorched Black Luster Soldier in intense fire. The ensuing battle caused a massive explosion that covered the immediate arena in a cloud of smoke.

"Attention duelists, who will emerge victorious from this awesome battle between two evenly matched monsters?! We'll have to wait and… oh!" Kemo began but stopped when the smoke cleared, revealing that both monsters had been destroyed. "So both of our monsters were destroyed? What do we do now? Who won?" Kristiann asked. "Simple, since both monsters were destroyed, due to the rules of Last Turn, the duel is a draw." Becca answered. "A draw? So what does that mean for tournament standings? The winners of this duel were supposed to enter the Championship on Duelist Kingdom Island. But what happens now that no actual winner was declared?" Zane asked no on in particular. "Uh, Mister Pegasus…?" Kemo asked his boss, not into the megaphone. There was a moment of silence in which Pegasus sat in his chair and thought out the answer to Zane's question. "Both of these teams display remarkable dueling skill. But more than that, they also have a strong sense of teamwork." Pegasus thought to himself. "James and Kristiann are obviously madly in love with each other and would do anything for each other. It doesn't take a magic eye to see that. But Zane and Becca also show early signs of a relationship. Could this mean that destiny wants them together in my tournament? But which team deserves more to enter my Tag Team Championship? Perhaps…" Pegasus thought.

"Kemo, give me the mike." The master demanded kindly. "Yes sir. Attention duelists! Since this match resulted in a draw, Mister Pegasus, the tournament's creator, will determine who will proceed to the Championship. Here you go, sir." Kemo passed the microphone to his boss, who stood up from his chair to deliver the news. "Ladies and gentlemen, since the duel resulted in a draw, it would appear that both teams have earned the right to proceed to the next level. In the spirit of excellent dueling and excellent teamwork, I have decided that both the teams of James and Kristiann and Zane and Becca will proceed to the International Tag Team Championship!" Pegasus declared in a loud voice as the crowd gave a wild and standing ovation.


	14. Chapter 14: Meeting the Master

Chapter 14- Meeting the Master

"You heard it here folks! Both the teams of Zane and Becca and James and Kristiann will advance to the International Tag Team Championship!" Kemo repeated. "Please everyone have a great day and a safe drive home." Kemo concluded the event as the packed stadium crowd rose to leave. "So what do we do now?" James asked no one in particular. "Please come with me. Mister Pegasus would like to speak with all four of you." Pegasus' butler Croquet requested as he walked out onto the main floor. All four of the duelists looked at each other, shrugged, and followed Croquet off of the main arena floor. The five of them, led by the butler, worked their way up to the balcony sitting booth that the president of Industrial Illusions sat in. When they got to the door of the booth, Croquet knocked. "Come in." A man on the other side urged. Croquet opened the door, letting James, Kristiann, Becca, and Zane enter the small, but luxurious room. It was quant, but had two couches and a television set on the wall, along with two end tables next to the couches. At the end of the small room was a sliding glass door that opened up to the booth sitting area where Maximillion Pegasus rose from his chair.

"Greeting, and congratulations on your respective victories." Pegasus greeted the four duelists as he opened the glass door and walked into the room. "Maximillion Pegasus, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Zane said politely as Croquet closed the door and stood guard from the outside. "Oh no, the pleasure's all mine. Please, sit down make yourselves comfortable. Would any of you like a drink or something?" Pegasus offered kindly. All four of them nodded a no, but did sit down on the couches, James and Kristiann on one and Becca and Zane on the other. "Suit yourselves." Pegasus shrugged as he brought in his chair from the balcony and sat down.

"I must say that that last duel was quite impressive. All four of you are admirable duelists." Pegasus complimented as he took a sip from the glass in his hand. "Well thanks, you know, we do our best." James replied with a smile. "Indeed. Your skills are exactly what we need for our International Tag Team Championship. By holding preliminary tournaments in cities across the country and world, I'm gathering the best of the best to participate. Of course, dueling skill is not all that is required to succeed in this tournament." Pegasus stated as he took another sip. "What do you mean? Isn't this supposed a tournament of the best duelists in the world?" Kristiann asked. "Not quite. Leave those kinds of tournaments to Kaiba boy, that's his forte. No, my tournament is designed to promote the concepts of unity and teamwork between duelists. You see, if I were gathering the best of the best, I would have only one duelist against one duelist. But in this tournament, teams of two duelists face off against teams of two duelists. In order to overcome the competition, duelists must work together with their partner. But you know all about that, James and Kristiann." Pegasus explained.

"How do you know about us?" James asked. "Please, it doesn't take a mind reader to tell how much you love each other. And naturally, people in love are always there to support each other. Like that little maneuver you pulled with A Hero Emerges and Bee Knight in your last duel. Not only was that a good move, but you also protected Kristiann from harm. It's that type of noble dueling that we need in this tournament." Pegasus answered. James and Kristiann looked at each other cutely and took each others hand, causing Becca to roll her eyes. "Then how do you explain me?" Zane asked to trip Pegasus up. "Your tough guy attitude can't fool me. How did you know that Becca had Last Turn facedown, hmm?" Pegasus countered. Zane didn't say a word. "Your silence speaks volumes. Again, it's no coincidence that your duel resulted in a draw. It was destiny that all four of you enter my tournament. It is for that reason that I present you with these." Pegasus stated as he pulled two envelopes from his suit jacket pocket. "What are these?" Becca asked. "These are your invitations to the International Tag Team Championship. Inside the envelopes is all the information you need for getting to the island. Industrial Illusions is paying for all four of you to fly first class to Duelist Kingdom Island. Just read the packet inside." Pegasus explained as Kristiann and Becca both took the envelopes for their respective teams. "Tomorrow? We fly out tomorrow?" Becca asked after reading the papers in the envelope. "Correct, this was the last preliminary tournament, so there's no use waiting." Pegasus answered.

"And what are these?" Kristiann asked as she pulled out a necklace like object. It appeared to be a heart pendant, but it was split in half and only contained half of the original heart. Becca too pulled the half heart pendant out of her envelope. "I'm glad you asked. That is proof of entry into the tournament, you'll need it to get past security on the island. Hold on to those and whatever you do, don't lose them. You'll also need them for the tournament." Pegasus revealed. "For what?" Zane asked. "That's for me to know and for you to find out later. Now, any more questions?" Pegasus asked. After a brief moment of silence, Pegasus spoke again. "No? Alright then, have a nice day and a pleasant journey to Duelist Kingdom Island and the International Tag Team Championship!" Pegasus said dramatically as Croquet opened the door and all four duelists rose to leave. "Alright, see you later!" James waved goodbye as all four duelists left the room. Croquet closed the door behind them and stood inside the room with his master. "Did everything go well, Mister Pegasus?" Croquet asked. "Indeed it did, this tournament is going to be quite fun." Pegasus answered with a smile and a chuckle as he took one last sip to finish off his glass.


	15. Chapter 15: Bon Voyage

Chapter 15- Bon Voyage

"It's day two on our voyage to the famous Duelist Kingdom Island, site of the International Tag Team Championship." A red haired young man said to himself as he stood on the main deck of a small luxury ship bound for the island. The young man, whose hair all stood up, had hazel eyes behind a pair of simple glasses. He currently wore a tan, designed shirt with a heavy black necklace around the young man's neck. He also had a green cape like article draped over the right side of his upper body. "Not much has really happened over this trip. We've just been maxing and relaxing for the past day or so. There's not many of us on this ship, but we're having fun. Some of us are getting our decks ready for the big tournament coming up. But I'm not too worried. I trust my deck and partner, so I know we'll to the finals and win it all. Speaking of my partner…" The young man trailed off as a young lady walked towards him. She had short black hair and brown eyes. She wore a one piece, dark green jumpsuit and black shoes. "Talking to yourself again, Adrian?" The young woman asked the young man called Adrian. "You know what they say, Echo, old habits die hard." Adrian replied as he greeted his partner with a quick kiss.

"So, we almost there?" Echo asked as she looked out to the ocean that covered horizon. "We should be there within an hour or so." Adrian replied without taking his eyes off the horizon line. "You're nervous, aren't you?" Echo asked knowingly as she turned to her partner. "You know me all to well, Echo." Adrian answered. "Don't worry, Adrian, there's nothing to worry about. We'll do great in the tournament, I know it." Echo said encouragingly as she rubbed Adrian's shoulder. "It's not that I'm worried about. It's just that… ever since that journey into the different dimension…" Adrian began. "You don't have to say it. I know exactly how you feel. But don't worry, Adrian, we've overcome those demons and now we can both move on. And this tournament is the perfect way to do just that." Echo cut him off. "You're right, Echo. Thanks." Adrian turned to his partner and looked into her eyes. "Anytime, my king." Echo replied as she kissed her partner.

"Oh jeez, those losers make me sick." A spiky haired, biker looking guy said in disgust as he looked down from a higher deck than Adrian and Echo. He had spiky black hair with streaks of red in it and black eyes. His apparel was that of some guy from a biker gang: a black shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. When he spoke, he had a very faint accent from somewhere, probably Brooklyn, though it was yet to be determined. "I quite agree with your objection, on the boat they should have their own section." A Chinese man sitting in the next recliner stated. He also had black eyes, but was completely bald. He wore a tan colored monk's robe and had sandals on his feet. "Agreed Xime, but if we cut them off from everyone, then we'll never get a chance to take them down ourselves. And personally, I can't wait to get a crack at Adrian Gecko." The biker guy told his Chinese friend Xime. "Just chill out Lance, we'll get our chance." Xime urged in another rhyme. "Yea, you're right, our time will come. Then we'll show that loser who the main characters are around here." The biker guy named Lance shouted as he threw a fist up into the air. "In this tournament we'll keep going high, just like that plane up in the sky." Xime pointed to an airplane flying up above them, also bound for Duelist Kingdom Island.

Meanwhile…

"So when do you think we're going to get there?" Kristiann asked James, who sat next to her on the plane. Currently flying first class in an airplane, James, Kristiann, Zane, and Becca were all seated near the back of the plane as the flying machine headed towards the Island. "I dunno, soon I think." James answered. "We must be close because there's the ocean." Zane pointed out as he looked out the window. True to what Zane said, below them was the mighty expanse of the ocean. "Hey, is that boat headed for Duelist Kingdom Island also?" Becca asked as she pointed to a small luxury liner traveling in the same direction as the plane. "I think so. I think the rest of the participants of the tournament from America are on that boat." Kristiann answered.

"What does it take for a guy to find a bathroom around here?" A voice shouted as a young man dressed in a Duel Academy Ra Yellow uniform stamped through a curtain from the front area of the plane to the back where the bathroom was. "It's back there, just calm down dude." James urged. "Oh why thank you. Say, are you lot also entering the International Tag Team Championship?" The young man called Bastion asked. "Yes we are. Bastion? It's been a while." Zane replied. "Oh my! Zane? Why it has been a while. Charmed to see you again." Bastion shook Zane's hand. "You two know each other?" Becca asked her dueling partner. "Why yes, we went to Duel Academy together." Bastion answered for him.

"Bastion, are you almost done back there? I'd like to use the bathroom before we land too." A lady's voice called out as a young lady herself walked through the same curtain to the back of the plane area. "I-it can't be? Amy Lee?!" James shouted as he practically jumped out of his seat. "Yea that's me. Why is everyone always so shocked to meet me?" Amy asked no one in particular. "Because you're one of the greatest singers in the whole world!" James exclaimed to answer her rhetorical question. "She's not that great." Kristiann mumbled as she grabbed James's shoulder and placed him back into his seat. "Oh yes, she is that great. And not only that, but she's also my dueling partner for the tournament." Bastion stated proudly. "Impressive, you two will make great rivals for the tournament." Zane complimented. "Thanks, we'll do our best I guess." Amy replied.

"Attention passengers, the plane will be landing shortly. Please return to your seats immediately for landing." The intercom on the airplane called out for all passengers to hear. "Well it was nice meeting you all. Good luck in the tournament and I hope to see you all in the competition." Amy said with a smile as she walked back to her seat. "Oh, but I didn't even get to use the bathroom yet." Bastion sighed as he worked his way back to his seat as well. "Well that was cool." Becca stated. "Yes it was. Man, this is going to be one awesome tournament!" James exclaimed happily.


	16. Chapter 16: The Gauntlet is Thrown

Chapter 16- The Gauntlet is Thrown

"Attention duelists and welcome one and all to Duelist Kingdom Island!" Kemo the announcer shouted from the rooftop of Pegasus's castle. Both the airplane and the boat had arrived at Duelist Kingdom Island that morning and now all of the participants of the tournament were gathered in a large crowd in front of the castle of the island. "Alright, I guess it's time to kick this tournament off for real!" James exclaimed happily. Together, he, Kristiann, Zane, Becca, Bastion, and Amy were standing together as the opening statements were made. "Indeed, I do believe that this tournament is going to be quite interesting." Bastion remarked. "If everyone would please silence themselves, our gracious host and tournament organizer Mister Maximillion Pegasus would like to start things off." Kemo passed the mike to his boss. "Greetings everyone and welcome to the International Tag Team Championship!" Pegasus began.

"I'm sure by now you are very eager to get on with the show, and I can assure you we will begin right away. At the preliminary tournaments each team received half of a heart pendant." Pegasus reminded them all as he held up a half-heart pendant of his own. "Yea, I remember these things. I guess now we finally find out what they're for." Kristiann stated as she took out her pendant. "Now, as all of you know, half of a heart really doesn't get you far. And the same applies for this tournament. The actual main event of the International Tag Team Championship will take place inside my castle. But in order for you to get inside, your team must have a full heart, the combination of two halves. But how does one get another half, you ask? Why, the same way we do everything, by dueling. In one hour, I will release a signal from my castle. When the signal goes off, you may duel any other team. If you should win a duel, you will acquire the other team's half heart pendant. There are exactly thirty-two teams on this island. Only sixteen will enter my castle to compete. Win another half and complete the pendant giving you entrance into my castle for the main event. That is your mission. Good luck to everyone and may the best teams win!" Pegasus explained as he handed the mike back to his favorite announcer.

"You heard the man! Scatter out teams and in exactly one hour, you may challenge another team to a duel. Be back to the castle by sunset tonight with your full heart pendant and you may enter the castle. Good luck to everyone and get your games on!" Kemo shouted as teams of duelists started off in various directions. "Well, this is where we all go our separate ways for now." Zane pointed out. "Yea, we're going our own way, but let's all meet back up in the castle, k?" Becca challenged. "Of course, we're not losing in round one. No doubt, we'll be seeing you guys later!" James challenged back. "Alright, well see ya then." Becca bid farewell as she and Zane walked off. "We'll be going our own way too, chaps." Bastion stated. "Yes, it was nice meeting you, and good luck out there." Amy added as she and Bastion walked off in a different direction. "I guess we should go off too." Kristiann offered. "Sure. Where do you want to go?" James asked. "I dunno, let's just start walking." Kristiann decided. James agreed and the two walked off towards the woods, hand in hand.

Meanwhile…

"Hey, do you see those two over there, walking all cutely and stuff? They look like easy targets, hehe." A short black haired youth snickered from behind a tree. The young man had black eyes also and wore a purple shirt with a black jacket over it that had snakes running up it. He similarly wore a pair of black jeans and red and white Nike sneakers. Of course, he had a Kaiba Corp duel disk strapped to his left arm. "Dude, man, you need to chill. The signal hasn't even gone off yet." The youth's dueling partner told him as he sat on a nearby rock, tuning his duel disk guitar. Unlike his fellow duelists, this man had a duel disk shaped like a guitar with the card zone slots in the neck and the deck and graveyard slots in the body. He, unlike his partner, had long, black, curly hair and wore a black top hat on his head. His eyes couldn't be seen behind the huge black sunglasses the man wore. For his outfit, the man wore a Guns N' Roses T-shirt with a black leather jacket over it, and darker colored jeans, but not black. "I'm just saying, Slash, when it does go off, we have to take down those losers. I mean just look at them, walking without a care in that sickening way. Plus she kind of looks like someone, but I can't think of where. Anyways, all I'm saying is that they look like easy targets for us to complete our heart pendant and get into the castle." The young man said to his celebrity partner. "Whatever you say, dude. I don't care who we defeat, 'cause no one can beat us." Slash replied. "Damn right, no one can beat the unstoppable celebrity team of Slash and Gabe Saporta!" The young man revealed his name.

Meanwhile…

"Hey, you hear something?" James asked as he and Kristiann walked through a path in the woods. "No, why?" Kristiann replied. "Oh, I just thought I heard something. Guess not." James replied. "Yea, guess not. So hey, do you really think we can win this tournament? I mean, there are a lot of tough duelists around." Kristiann asked her partner. "Of course we can win. We might not have as much experience as some of the other duelists, but we've got something stronger: Love." James replied as they stopped walking in a clearing in the woods and embraced each other. "You're right, James as long as we're together, we can beat anyone." Kristiann affirmed. Just then, a screech echoed through the forest and a flare signal shot up from somewhere on the island. "That must be the signal. Alright, I guess we can go track down an opponent now." Kristiann pointed out as the flare faded. "Yep, let's go do this… together." James stated as he gave his love a quick kiss.

"Well isn't that just freakin' adorable! Too bad I'll have to prove you both wrong!" A young man's voice rang out as a young man did indeed jump out of the trees and faced James and Kristiann in the clearing. "Who are you?" Kristiann asked the new guy. "Who am I? You mean you don't know? Ever heard of the band Cobra Starship?" The young man asked. "Of course, they're pretty good. I mean not great, but not bad." James answered. "Not bad?! We're only the best! And you're looking at the lead singer right here: Gabe Saporta at your service." Gabe exclaimed in a slightly offended manner. "Gabe Saporta, the name does kinda sound familiar. Anyways, what do you want?" Kristiann asked. "To duel you of course! Right here and now to knock you out of this tournament and let someone with actual skill and fame win this gig." Gabe told them as he raised his duel disk arm.

"That's fine with me. But where's your partner?" James asked. "That would be me." The man with the top hat stated as he too walked out into the clearing. "Slash?! Wow, this is awesome!" James exclaimed happily. "Well thanks, dude. But fan or not, I'm not holding back against you." Slash stated as he raised his duel disk guitar into playing position. "Hey, how come you know him and not me? Well whatever, we're taking you losers down. You ready?" Gabe asked as the four duelists got into position and activated their duel disks. "We are now. This is our first official duelist of the tournament. You ready, baby?" James asked his lady. She nodded in approval as both teams' life points were set to 8000 and everyone drew their opening hands. "Then let's duel!" All four of them exclaimed at the same time.


	17. Chapter 17: Welcome to the Jungle

Chapter 17- Welcome to the Jungle

"Since you two are losers, I'll make the first move." Gabe said smartly as he drew a card. "And to do so, I'll summon my Alien Shocktrooper in attack mode!" Gabe called as his four-legged alien warrior emerged with 1900 attack and 800 defense. "Have fun dealing with that. I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Gabe concluded sarcastically. "I'll show you what this 'loser' can do!" Kristiann said determined as she drew a card. "And to prove it, I'll summon a new monster: my Wizard Penguin in attack mode!" Kristiann called as her magical, robed penguin emerged with 1500 attack and 1200 defense. "What a lame monster! And not only that, but it's weaker than my Shocktrooper. Yep, the verdict still stands, you are a loser." Gabe remarked with a chuckle. "You think that now, but Wizard Penguin has a special ability: as long as it's on the field, all of my spell casters gain 300 attack points." Kristiann explained as her penguin's attack points rose to 1800. "Ha, that's still to weak to stand up to my Alien." Gabe laughed. "For now, but I still have this spell card. I activate Black Pendant!" Kristiann called as her penguin gained a special necklace around it. "With this spell card equipped to my Penguin, he gains 500 attack points, making it stronger than your monster." Kristiann explained as her monster's attack points rose to 2300. "Uh oh." Gabe whispered under his breath. "Yea, uh oh is, right. Wizard Penguin attack Alien Shocktrooper with arctic magic gale!" Kristiann commanded as her penguin shot a blast of freezing wind from its wand, destroying Gabe's Alien and reducing his life points to 7600.

"This is far from over!" Gabe shouted to his opponent. "Oh I agree, we're just getting started. But my turn is over, with this facedown card of course." Kristiann concluded by setting a card facedown. "Alright, dudes, it's my turn!" Slash stated as he drew a card from the strumming part of his guitar duel disk. "I'll start off my solo by summoning Venom Snake in attack mode!" Slash called out as a small, but dangerous looking snake emerged with 1200 attack and 600 defense. "I don't want to sound like Gabe, but that monster is a little too weak." Kristiann stated, which caused an offended look from Gabe. "That's exactly what I want to think, until I unleash its special ability. Once per turn, I can put one venom counter on any one of your monsters. And I choose to infect Wizard Penguin." Slash explained as his serpent shot a glob of toxic looking liquid in the shape of a snake at Kristiann's monster that bit into it. "Eww, what does that do?" Kristiann asked. "Well nothing just yet. But I think I'll change that by activating a certain magic card right now. And we say in the biz… Welcome to the Jungle!" Slash sang at the end as he activated the normal spell card. "Here's what it does, dudes. First I get to search my deck for a trap card and add it to my hand. But then I can add a super powerful field spell to my hand also." Slash explained as he looked through his deck and reshuffled.

"And what field spell would that be?" James asked. "It's only one of the best in the entire game and perfect for my deck. But instead of telling you about it, I'm going to play it. I activate the field spell card Venom Swamp!" Slash called out as a slot opened in the head of his guitar duel disk and he slid the card inside it. Once the slot closed again, the whole forest clearing became covered with a toxic ooze. "That can't be good." Kristiann stated frankly. "Oh believe me, it's not. See, as long as Venom Swamp is on the field all monsters with venom counters on them lose 500 attack points for each one. That means that your Wizard Penguin loses points since my Venom Snake put a counter on it." Slash explained as Kristiann's penguin's attack points dropped to 1800. "Well it's still pretty strong, so I'm not too worried." Kristiann pointed out. "You think that now, but I lay two cards facedown and then, by ending my turn, I activate the second special ability of Venom Swamp. At the end of every turn, each non-venom monster on the field gains another venom counter, meaning it loses another 500 attack points." Slash explained as another liquid snake jumped out of the muck and bit on to Kristiann's Wizard Penguin, reducing its attack points to 1300.

"Oh jeez, that's not good." Kristiann pointed out the obvious. "Yea, but now it's my turn." James stated as he drew a card. "And any monster that I summon isn't infected by Venom Swamp until the end of my turn. So I can summon my Marauding Captain without fear." James called as his warrior emerged onto the field with 1200 attack and 400 defense. "But by summoning o captain my captain, I can also activate his special ability, which lets me summon another level four or below monster right from my hand. And I think I'll summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!" James called as his iron-clad warrior emerged with 1800 attack and 1600 defense. "And with two, poison-free monsters on my side of the field, I can take you out. Gearfried, destroy Venom Snake!" James commanded as his warrior dashed forward and cleanly slashed apart the serpent, reducing Slash's life points to 7000. "And with no monsters left to protect you, Marauding Captain, attack Slash directly!" James added as his warrior dashed forward and slashed the guitarist with its blade, reducing his life points to 5800. "Well thanks, dude!" Slash laughed. "I think I missed the joke. I just made you lose life points why are you thanking me?" James asked confused. "Because now I can activate the trap card Damage = Reptile! As long as this card remains on the field, every time I take damage, I can summon a reptile monster from my deck that has attack points equal or less than the amount of damage I took. And since I just lost 1200 life points, I can special summon Venom Serpent from my deck!" Slash explained as a second snake emerged, this time with 1000 attack and 800 defense.

"I have nothing left except this facedown." James concluded his turn. "Ha, since your turn all of your monsters are now infected with venom counters!" Slash exclaimed as more liquid snakes jumped out of the swamp and bit onto all three of James's and Kristiann's monsters, reducing Marauding Captain's attack points to 700, Gearfried the Iron Knight's attack points to 1300, and Wizard Penguin's attack points to 800. "Welcome to the jungle, losers! It doesn't matter if you've got the money or not, because we have your disease. And in my biz we call it losing, hahaha!" Gabe laughed mockingly.


	18. Chapter 18: Out of this World

Chapter 18- Out of This World

"If you thought those venom counters were bad, then you ain't seen nothing yet." Gabe stated as he drew a card. "And to demonstrate my point, I'll summon Alien Warrior in attack mode!" Gabe called as his space-born monster emerged with 1800 attack and 1000 defense. "That's it? The way you were going on I was expecting something a little more impressive." Kristiann stated. "Then I'll give you something more impressive! I activate the spell card "A" Cell Breeding Device! As long as this card is in play, I can put one A counter on one monster. So I'll infect your Penguin Wizard with one of my A counters!" Gabe explained as a tube of toxic looking chemicals rose out of the ground and shot a freaky lump of goop at Kristiann's monster. "What does an A counter do? And what A stand for anyway?" Kristiann asked. "I think it stands for what Gabe is. An as…" James joked but was cut off. "As if! My A counter doesn't really do much of anything until you do battle with one of my Alien monsters. Then your monster loses 300 attack points for each counter on it." Gabe cut in and explained.

"Allow me to demonstrate. Alien Warrior, destroy Wizard Penguin!" Gabe commanded as his monster brandished its claws and jumped forward. "And since your monster has an A counter, it loses 300 attack points." Gabe reminded as Kristiann's monster's attack points dropped to 500. Then Alien Warrior landed and slashed Wizard Penguin, destroying it and reducing Kristiann's life points to 6700. "I think you get the point now. But just to be sure, I'll activate another magic card. I activate Delinquent Duo! All I have to do is give up 1000 life points and then you have to randomly discard two cards from your hand." Gabe explained as two little demons flew out of his cards and his life points dropped to 4800. "Hey!" Kristiann shouted as the demons picked up two of Kristiann's cards, sending them to the graveyard. "I think that's enough for now. I end my turn. And since I do, more venom counters come out of the swamp." Gabe concluded. "Ha, but since your monster isn't a venom monster either, it gets a venom counter too!" James pointed out. "That's where you're wrong. I activate my trap card Spartan Shield Zone! As long as this card is in play, none of my Aliens can have counters on them, A or venom. That means that only your monsters feel the burn." Gabe countered as two liquid snakes jumped out and bit on to James's monsters, reducing Marauding Captain's attack points to 200 and Gearfried's attack points to 800.

"A counters or venom counters, it doesn't matter, we'll beat them both." Kristiann said confidently as she drew a card. "Now here's a card that can turn things around. By removing one light monster from my graveyard from play, I can special summon Soul of Purity and Light." Kristiann called. "A monster that's quite appropriate for my lady." James commented. "That's cute and all, but you don't have any light monsters in your graveyard." Gabe pointed out. "I don't? Well then how did I get Goddess with the Third Eye in my graveyard?" Kristiann asked though she knew the answer. "Ah, you must have discarded it after I activated Delinquent Duo!" Gabe exclaimed in realization. "Exactly, and now I remove my Goddess with the Third Eye from play in order to special summon Soul of Purity and Light in attack mode!" Kristiann called as her angelic spirit emerged with 2000 attack and 1800 defense. "Soul of Purity and Light, destroy Alien Warrior with light wave attack!" Kristiann commanded as her spirit launched a wave of light energy at Gabe's monster, destroying it and reducing his life points to 4600. But when Alien Warrior exploded, two oozing freaks of goop remained behind and attached themselves to Kristiann's monster. "What's going on?" Kristiann asked. "Ha, when Alien Warrior is destroyed, it leaves behind two A counters that attach to any one of your monsters. So I let them attach to your Soul of Purity and Light." Gabe explained. "Well that's kinda gross. I end my turn." Kristiann concluded as another toxic snake bit on to Kristiann's monster, reducing its attack points to 1500. Then, two more snakes bit on to James's monsters, reducing Gearfried's attack points to 300 and Marauding Captain's to 0.

But then Marauding Captain suddenly fell into the swamp without a trace. "What happened to my monster?" James asked loudly. "That, dude, is another ability of my Venom Swamp, whenever a monster's attack points hit zero because of my venom counters, that monster is automatically destroyed." Slash explained. "That's some strong poison!" James exclaimed. "It most certainly is, dude! You don't even know the half of it." Slash chuckled as he drew a card. "Alright, dudes time for my power play! First I activate my facedown card Altar for Tribute! By sacrificing Venom Serpent, I gain life points equal to his attack points." Slash explained as his serpent disappeared and their life points rose to 5600. "Secondly, I activate the spell card Snake Rain! By sending my Venom Boa in my hand to graveyard, I can also send four other reptile monsters from my deck to the graveyard, namely my Venom Cobra, Iron Chain Snake, Granadora, and a monster you'll soon come to fear." Slash explained as he discarded all of his cards. "Why would you discard all those cards? And what is this so fearful monster?" James asked confused. "I'll answer both of your questions with one simple magic card. I activate Premature Burial! Now, at the cost of 800 life points, I can bring back the ultimate monster I tossed out." Slash explained as his life points dropped to 4800.

"Now arise, Vennominon the King of Poisonous Snakes!" Slash exclaimed as his great poisonous monarch emerged with 0 attack and defense points. "My great King may have 0 attack points for now, but he gets 500 for each reptile monster in my graveyard. And if my math is right, then Vennominon gets 3000 attack points!" Slash laughed as his monster's attack points rose to 3000. "Now, Vennominon, King of Poisonous Snakes, destroy Soul of Purity and Light!" Slash commanded. "Wait, before you attack, my monster's special ability kicks in, making you lose 300 attack points during this battle only." Kristiann interjected as Vennominon's attack points dropped temporarily to 2700. "Like that matters, I've still got plenty of poison power!" Slash countered as his monster shot a blast of toxic power at Kristiann's monster, destroying it and reducing her life points to 5500. "That's enough for one move, but since I end my turn, venom swamp claims another victim, your Gearfried the Iron Knight!" Slash reminded as another snake latched onto James's monster, causing it to loose all of its attack points and sink into the muck.

"Ha, good luck dealing with us now!" Gabe laughed mockingly. "I don't need luck. You know why? Because I believe in my partner and in my deck." James stated as he drew a card. "I've got to destroy your Venom Swamp once and for all, but first I need to call for backup. So I activate Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards from my deck." James explained as he drew his cards. "Draw all the cards you want, dude, cause nothing can take out my Venom Swamp." Slash laughed. "I beg to differ, because I have a card here that can wipe out your swamp right here and now." James stated frankly. "What? How?" Slash exclaimed. "I activate The Sanctuary in the Sky!" James called as he slid the card into the field spell slot on his duel disk. "And since another field spell is in play, yours is destroyed. Let's take it to the skies!" James exclaimed as the swamp disappeared and was replaced with a majestic cloud world. "You're in my world now, and up here, anything is possible. So I think it's time to win this duel once and for all!" James exclaimed with a smile.


	19. Chapter 19: United We Stand

Chapter 19- United We Stand

"Since we're in the sacred sky world, I'm going to summon a monster from the sky. I call forth Nova Summoner in attack mode!" James called as his sky fairy emerged with 1400 attack and 800 defense. "That's a relief, I was expecting something a little tougher." Slash sighed. "You want something tougher? I think I can deliver that. I activate the spell card Sacred Radiance! Here's how it works: since the Sanctuary in the Sky is in play, I can double the attack points of Nova Summoner for one turn. But one of your monsters also loses 500 attack points again for this turn only." James explained as Nova Summoner doubled in size and attack points to 2800 and Vennominon's attack points dropped temporarily to 2500. "So much for your ultimate king! Nova Summoner, attack Vennominon the King of Poisonous Snakes!" James commanded as his fairy unleashed multiple waves of light energy that slashed Vennominon through multiple times, destroying it and reducing Slash's life points to 4300. "So much for your attack. Obviously you don't know about Vennominon's special ability. Whenever he's destroyed, I can remove one reptile monster from my graveyard from play and I can revive him." Slash explained as he removed Venom Boa from play. Immediately, Vennominon rose again from the floor of the clouds, this time with 2500 attack points since one less reptile monster was in his graveyard.

"That's not a bad special ability. I lay one card facedown and end my turn." James concluded as his monster's attack points returned to normal. "It's my move then." Gabe stated as he drew a card. "Haha, now it's time for me to summon my ultimate monster. I activate the spell card Autonomous Action Unit! At the cost of 1500 life points, now I can summon a monster from one of your graveyards. And what the heck, I'll bring back Marauding Captain." Gabe explained as James's warrior came back on Gabe's side of the field with 1200 attack and 400 defense. "That's sneaky and all, but I wouldn't call it an ultimate monster." James pointed out. "True, but by sacrificing your monster, I can call mine out with just that one sacrifice. I offer up Marauding Captain in order to call forth from the deep dark reaches of space Cosmic Horror Gangi'el!"Gabe exclaimed as his huge, mutated alien creature came down from above the sky with 2600 attack and 2000 defense. "Now that is a little more impressive." Kristiann stated as Gabe's alien terror let out a horrible shriek. "It is, and you're about to see it close up. Cosmic Horror Gangi'el, attack Kristiann directly!" Gabe commanded as his mighty monster shot a beam of cosmic energy from its jaws directly at Kristiann, who yelped in anticipation of the attack. "I'll save you, baby. I activate my trap card Attack Guidance Armor! With this card, I can redirect your attack to any other monster on the field, namely my own Nova Summoner." James countered as a piece of armor equipped to James's fairy, redirecting the attack to it, destroying it in an instant.

"Since my field spell is in play, I don't lose any life points when a fairy monster is destroyed." James reminded. "Also by destroying Nova Summoner, you've activated its special ability which lets me summon Airknight Parshath from my deck." James explained as the centaur-like fairy warrior emerged with 1900 attack and 1400 defense. "Like that matters, the combined power of our monsters is unstoppable! I lay a facedown card and end my turn." Gabe concluded. "Let's see just how unstoppable your monsters really are!" Kristiann countered as she drew a card. "And this card will certainly put that to the test. I activate the spell card Essence of Light! This card lets me summon one dark monster from my deck and treat it as a light monster. Brought straight from the light, I summon Vampire Lord!" Kristiann called as her normally dark monster emerged in a flash of light with 2000 attack and 1500 defense. "But that's not where it ends. My Essence of Light card stays in play and gives all of my light monsters an extra 500 attack points." Kristiann added as her Vampire Lord's attack points rose to 2500. "Not bad, I'll admit, but that dude doesn't have enough attack points to destroy either of our monsters." Slash pointed out. "That's true, but this magic card has more than enough power to take out both of your monsters." Kristiann held up a card and turned to James, who nodded.

"I activate Vampire Control! At the cost of 1000 life points, this card destroys all monsters on your side of the field, both of them. Go Vampire Lord, destroy their best monsters!" Kristiann exclaimed as her life points dropped to 4500. At once, Vampire Lord started glowing with purple dark energy. After a short moment of charging up, he released energy, sending a shock wave directly at Slash and Gabe's monsters. "That would have been a good comeback, if I didn't have this trap card of course! I activate the trap card Magic Jammer! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate your spell card and destroy it." Gabe countered as Vampire Lord's shock wave was sucked into a dark vortex. "Fine, I set one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded.

"Alright then dudes, we're coming down to the big finish of this duel, so look out!" Slash almost sang as he drew a card. "You think you've seen the last of my poison power, but you're wrong. I activate Venom Shot! By sending one reptile monster from my deck to the graveyard, I can nail one of your monsters with two venom counters. So I'll discard another Venom Snake from my deck and infect your Vampire Lord!" Slash explained as Vennominon shot two liquid snakes at Kristiann's monster, that infected it and dropped its attack points to 1500. "And now that I have another reptile monster in my graveyard, Vennominon gains another 500 attack points." Slash reminded as his monster's attack points rose to 3000. "I'll set this one card facedown, and attack Vampire Lord with Vennominon the King of Poisonous Snakes!" Slash called as his monarch shot a blast of poison at Kristiann's vampire. "I activate my trap card Mirror Force! Now all of your monsters are destroyed before your attack is completed, Slash!" Kristiann countered as a reflective energy shot Vennominon's attack back at itself, destroying it.

"You must have forgotten about Vennominon's special ability. But I'm not going to bring him back this time though." Slash revealed. "You're not? Not that I'm complaining, but why not?" James asked confused. "Because instead I'm activating my facedown card Rise of the Snake Deity! When I sing and play my guitar, I perform with a purpose in mind. Sometimes I try to convey a certain message, and sometimes I sing about a person or thing. So why play for a king, when I could play for a goddess?" Slash explained himself. "I know exactly what you mean." James stated with a huge grin as he looked to his partner, who smiled back. "Cute, but can she stand up to the power that my monster has? It was a rhetorical question, dudes, 'cause I'm going to answer it for you right now. Rise, Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes!" Slash called as his even stronger reptilian goddess rose from below the clouds with 0 attack and defense. "Yeah, yeah, I know, zero attack points and all. But in case you didn't figure it out already, Vennominaga has a special ability: she gains 500 attack points for every reptile monster in my graveyard." Slash explained as his monster's attack points rose to 3500.

"Don't forget also that my monster can still attack this turn. Go Vennominaga, destroy Vampire Lord with sacred toxic shot!" Slash commanded as his deity shot a multiple toxic bursts from the snakes crawling over its body directly at Kristiann's monster, destroying it in an instant and reducing her life points to 2500. "Ha, even the undead submit to poison. And speaking of submitting, Vennominaga has another special ability: each time she destroys a monster in battle, she gains a hyper-venom counter. When she has three on her, we automatically win the duel. Coupled with the fact that she also can't be targeted by magic or trap cards, I'd say my deity of poisonous snakes is truly invincible. I end my turn." Slash concluded as an orb of fire appeared at Vennominaga's waist, representing the hyper-venom token.

"The odds may be stacked against us, but we're not giving up. It ends here." James stated as he drew a card. "Gabe, Slash, it's been a good duel, but with this card here, the duel is ours. I summon Armageddon Knight in attack mode!" James called as his phantom-like warrior emerged with 1400 attack and 1200 defense. "Ha, you think that little guy can stand up to our ultimate monsters?" Gabe laughed. "Not alone, but due to his special ability I can call for backup. When Armageddon Knight is summoned, I can send one monster from my deck to the graveyard, Dark Blade to be precise." James explained as he sent his dark knight to the graveyard from his deck. "Still not impressed. What are you just giving up and discarding all your monsters?" Gabe asked mockingly. "Just the opposite, Gabe. Now with a light monster and a dark monster in my graveyard I can remove them both from play in order to summon my ultimate monster, the perfect knight for my perfect queen. I remove Nova Summoner and Dark Blade from play in order to summon Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning!" James exclaimed as both monsters were sucked into the central orb on the tower in the Sanctuary in the Sky. Then, from the great temple, James's strongest warrior emerged with 3000 attack and 2500 defense.

"That's not a bad monster, dude, but I think you overestimate it." Slash commented. "I think you underestimate it. But this final magic card will change your mind. I activate United We Stand and equip it to my warrior." James stated as his soldier started to glow. "With this card equipped to Black Luster Soldier, he gains 800 attack points for every monster on my side of the field. I have three: Airknight Parshath, Armageddon Knight, and Black Luster Soldier himself. So my knight gains 2400 attack points!" James explained as his monster's attack points rose to 5400. "Now, Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning, destroy Cosmic Horror Gangi'el!" James commanded as his knight dashed forward, jumped up, and slashed Gabe's alien down vertically, destroying it and reducing Gabe's life points to 2800. "Argh, I still have life points left!" Gabe shouted as he recoiled from the attack. "Not for long. Due to Black Luster Soldier's special ability, he can attack again in the same turn if he destroyed a monster this turn. It's over." James stated with determination as Black Luster Soldier no sooner hit the cloud ground that he dashed forward and slashed Gabe, reducing his and his partner's life points to a final 0.


	20. Chapter 20: Monsoon in Transition

Chapter 20- Monsoon in Transition

"What?! We lost?!" Gabe shouted in disbelief as all the holograms, including the sky world, faded and all four duelists were standing in the middle of the forest clearing once again. "Yea, we just did." Kristiann replied matter-of-factly. "I don't believe this! You losers are gonna pay for this!" Gabe shouted again as he turned and ran away, into the forest. "Wait, dude!" Slash called after him, but he was already gone. "Whatever, I'll catch up with him later. Anyways, since you two just won, I think you've earned this." Slash admitted as he pulled a half heart pendant out of his pocket and handed it to James. "Thanks, Slash. Any chance we might have earned an autograph too?" James asked with a pleading smile as he accepted the pendant. "Not a chance, dudes. Well I'm outta here, peace." Slash saluted as he too turned and headed towards the forest. "Oh well, we didn't get an autograph, but at least we won the heart pendant." James stated. "Yea, so it should fit perfectly with this." Kristiann also stated as she pulled out her own half heart pendant. As the two held their half hearts, they slowly brought them together until they formed a complete heart pendant. "Wow, two half hearts becoming one heart. Sound familiar, hunh?" James said with a knowing smile. "Yea. Hmm, I love you, baby." Kristiann said lovingly as she turned and embraced her partner. They gave each other a quick kiss and then broke apart.

"Well now that we have a complete pendant, we can enter Pegasus's castle for the tournament." James reminded her happily. "Yea, let's go!" Kristiann exclaimed happily. "Um, which way is Pegasus's castle?" Kristiann asked as she looked around. "I don't know, but if we follow a path, we're bound to get somewhere." James shrugged. "Alright, which way do you want to go?" Kristiann asked as she pointed to the multiple forest paths that lay before them. "I dunno, let's go this way." James decided as he pointed to a path to his right. "Alright then, let's go!" Kristiann encouraged as the two partners started walking down the forest path, hand in hand.

They walked on for only a while when they heard the sounds of a nearby duel. "Hey, I think someone's dueling over there, let's go watch!" James urged as he pointed in the direction of the sound. "Ok yea, maybe it's Zane and Becca." Kristiann speculated as the two ran through the forest towards the direction of the sound. When they cleared the woods, they were standing on a grassy plain area next to a cliff by the ocean. But in this area, there was indeed a duel going on. A red-haired young man and a short black haired young lady were dueling against a kid in a red shirt and jeans and another kid with a yellow shirt and jeans. Both kids had baseball caps on of their respective colors. Currently, no one had any monsters on the field, but the kid in the yellow cap had a facedown card. The two kids currently had 2900 life points and the young man and lady currently had 3700 life points. "Ha, since I just cleared the field with my Dark Hole spell card, you guys don't have any monsters. But by activating this trap card, I can get one. I activate Soul Resurrection, which lets me bring back a normal monster from my graveyard in defense mode." The kid with the yellow shirt and cap explained as he activated his facedown card. "So I'll bring back my Millennium Shield in defense mode. Just try and get past that!" The kid bragged as his ancient shield emerged with 0 attack and 3000 defense.

"That's not a bad monster, but I've dealt with much tougher in my days." The red-haired young man stated as he drew a card. "Since I have no monsters on the field, I can activate this magic card: Summon Cloud! And with it, I can summon one Cloudian monster from my hand or graveyard. So from my hand, I'll summon Cloudian- Sheep Cloud!" The red head explained as his tiny fluffy cloud emerged with 0 attack and defense. "Not only does that monster look harmless, but it really is with 0 attack points!" The red clad kid laughed. "It's a good thing I'm not attacking with it then. I activate Exploder Cloud! By sacrificing my Cloudian- Sheep Cloud, I can inflict damage to your life points equal to its attack points. Go Exploder Cloud!" The young man exclaimed as his little cloud exploded. "I'm not the best at math, but that monster had 0 attack points, so we don't lose any life points. What was the point of that?!" The yellow clad kid laughed. "Patience, my young padawan. See, when Sheep Cloud is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, it leaves two Cloudian Tokens in its place." The young man explained as two smaller clouds emerged each with 0 attack and defense. "And I can now sacrifice both of these tokens in order to summon Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon!" The red head called as his tokens were sucked into a raging typhoon, of which a great eye appeared, revealing the young man's strongest monster with 3000 attack and 1000 defense.

"Now, Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon, attack Millennium Shield!" The young man commanded as his monster started blowing a gale of wind. "Why would you do that? My Shield has the same amount of defense points as your monster has attack points." The kid pointed out. "That's true, but my monster has a special ability, whenever it's about to attack all non-Cloudian monsters change battle position." The young man explained. "So that means…" The kid trailed off. "Exactly, your monster switches to attack mode before my attack hits. And since it has no attack points, this duel is over!" The young man exclaimed as the gale sent the kid's Shield flying and his life points spiraling down to 0. "Good game you guys." The young lady teamed up with the red head commented as the holograms faded. "Thanks, we did our best. I guess you win this then." The red clad kid conceded as he tossed them his half heart pendant. "Thanks, you kids keep it up." The young man encouraged as the two thanked him and ran off. "Good job, honey." The young lady said to her partner as she walked over and kissed him.

"Hey that was an awesome duel!" James shouted as he ran over to the pair. "Were you watching this whole time?" The young man asked as he realized James and Kristiann were there. "No, we just caught the end of it. We thought it might have been our friends. I'm Kristiann by the way." Kristiann introduced herself. "Oh yea, and I'm James." James too introduced himself as he extended his hand. "I'm Adrian, and this lovely lady is Echo." The red head stated as he shook James's hand. "Please to meet you." Echo added as she shook Kristiann's hand. "You too. So you two are entering the tournament too?" Kristiann asked. "Yep, Adrian and I are gonna win the whole thing." Echo replied confidently. "Not if we win first." James challenged playfully. "I'll hold you to that. Who knows, maybe we'll meet in the tournament somewhere?" Adrian speculated. "Yea maybe. Well it was nice meeting you." Kristiann bid farewell as they started to walk away. "You too! Catch you on the flipside." Adrian waved as the teams went their separate ways. "They seem pretty cool." James stated. "Yea, I think so. But if that wasn't Zane and Becca, then I wonder where they are." Kristiann stated. "Yea me too, and I wonder if they've won their duel yet." James added as the two walked together, hopefully in the direction of Pegasus's castle.

Meanwhile…

"We should probably find an opponent soon." Becca stated as she and Zane walked in the forest, still looking for a team to duel against. "I agree, I'm itching to grind my knuckles against a strong and worthy opponent." Zane agreed. There was silence for a minute, broken by Becca. "Hey Zane, we make a pretty good team, do you think we have a chance of winning this duel?" Becca asked her partner. "I don't know, but since we're both good duelists, I'd say our chances are pretty good." Zane replied after a moment of thinking. "Maybe it takes more than dueling skills to win this tournament though, just like Pegasus said. And maybe Zane and I can find that and win this thing." Becca thought to herself. "Hey Zane?" Becca said out loud. "Yea?" Zane responded. "I…" Becca began, but was cut off.

"Well if it isn't the legendary Zane Truesdale!" A male's voice called from nowhere. "Who's there?" Zane called back as the two reached a forest clearing. That's when they saw two duelists standing in the clearing, probably waiting for an opponent. One of them, a young man, wore black skinny jeans and a black shirt that was hidden near his neck by the long black cape he wore that went down to his knees and up to his head, where a red collar rose higher than his shoulders. The young man had spiked up to one side brown hair and red head band that contrasted his blue eyes. The other man was dressed completely in a silver armor over a tight black article. His face was covered by a silver helmet and a sunglass material visor that covered all but his mouth. He also wore a blue bandana around his neck and had a tiny silver horn sticking out of the helmet on his forehead. "Who are you guys?" Becca asked the strange duo. "You probably don't remember us Zane, but we went to Duel Academy together. We graduated a year after you did." The armored guy explained as he held up the silver Academy-style duel disk on his left arm. "Yes, you were practically a hero to us, truly a model for all Duel Academy students." The caped guy added as he held up the black Academy duel disk on his arm.

"So what do you want now? I doubt it's just to flatter me." Zane asked flatly. "Right again, you were always the smartest. We're here now to challenge you and your little girlfriend to a duel for this." The caped man explained as he held up his half heart pendant. "I'm not his girlfriend!" Becca shouted, slightly blushing. "Whatever, that doesn't matter to us. We're just here to duel. I'm Skrub by the way." The silver armored man introduced. "And I'm Ferris, the juggler." The caped man added as shuffled his deck in a skilled fashion. "This could be just the match I'm looking for. You up for it, Becca?" Zane asked his partner. "Of course, let's take these clowns down." Becca replied as she activated her duel disk. "Who you calling clowns? We graduated near the top of our class too, you know!" Ferris retorted as he activated his duel disk. "Then let's put that to the test. You two ready?" Zane urged as he activated his own duel disk. "Of course, we were born ready." Skrub responded as he activated his silver duel disk. Both teams' life points were set at 8000 and they all drew their opening hands. "Then let's duel!" They all shouted at the same time.


	21. Chapter 21: Fiends and Machines

Chapter 21- Fiends and Machines

"I believe I shall begin this performance." Ferris stated as he drew a card. "And I'll do so by summoning Scarr, Scout of Dark World in defense mode!" The juggler called as his red fiend emerged with 500 attack and defense. "Then I'll set one card facedown and call it a turn." Ferris concluded. "That's it? I can do better than that!" Becca stated as she drew a card. "You think so?" Ferris taunted. "I know so. See? I summon Luster Dragon in attack mode." Becca called as her shiny, blue dragon emerged with 1900 attack and 1600 defense. "You're right, that's not a bad monster. However my monster is in defense mode, so my life points are safe." Ferris reminded. "Wrong again. By equipping my Dragon with the spell card Fairy Meteor Crush, even though your monster is in defense mode, you still take damage when he attacks." Becca explained as her dragon started glowing from Becca's equip spell. "Oh no." Ferris said under his breath. "Luster Dragon, take out his Scout with dragon fairy meteor crush!" Becca commanded as her dragon shot a meteor from its mouth, striking Scarr, destroying it and reducing Ferris's life points to 6600. "Well I'll admit I didn't see the damage coming, but I actually wanted you to destroy my Scout of Dark World. 'Cause now that you did, I can search my deck for another Dark World monster and add it to my hand." Ferris explained with a smile. "Whatever it is, I'm sure Zane and I can handle it. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Becca concluded her turn.

"Perhaps you can take whatever my partner has in store, but there's no way you handle what I have for you." Skrub stated arrogantly as he drew a card. "You mean what we have in store for them." Ferris corrected. "No, what I have. Everyone knows my deck is stronger, so I'll lead the offensive." Skrub stated. "What?! My deck is way stronger!" Ferris objected. "We'll see about that. You couldn't even summon a strong monster on your first turn. I, on the other hand, can. I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode!" Skrub called as his power packed machine emerged with 1800 attack and 1500 defense. "At least I play with some strategy. Besides, your monster doesn't even have enough attack points to defeat her dragon." Ferris pointed out. "Aha, maybe I have a bit more strategy than you give me credit for. I activate the spell card Quick Summon. This lets me summon another monster this turn. And I choose to call out Y-Dragon Head in attack mode!" Skrub added as his red draconic machine emerged with 1500 attack and 1600 defense. "Hate to break it to you, but that monster isn't strong enough either." Becca pointed out. "Aha, it's a good thing that I'm not using it then. You're familiar with union monsters of course? Well, my Y-Dragon Head can unionize with my X-Head Cannon and connect to it, giving my Cannon and extra 400 attack and defense points." Skrub explained as his monster's attack points rose to 2200 and his monster's defense points rose to 1900.

"And now I have enough firepower to take down your dragon. X-Head Cannon, attack Luster Dragon!" Skrub commanded as his machine shot two charges of energy at Becca's monster, destroying it and reducing her life points to 7700. "That'll end it for me." Skrub concluded. "That's it? Not even a facedown?" Ferris questioned. "Hey, I did better than you!" Skrub snapped back. "Becca, I think I've found their weakness. They aren't really working as a team. I think we can use that to our advantage." Zane whispered to his partner, who nodded in reply. "It's my move." Zane stated aloud as he drew a card. "I summon Cyber Dragon in attack mode!" Zane called as his signature dragon emerged with 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "Ha, since my X-Head Cannon has Y-Dragon Head equipped to it, he's way too strong for even your Cyber Dragon to defeat!" Skrub laughed. "That may be true, but your monster's strength is also going to be its weakness. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon. Since your Y-Dragon Head is treated as a spell card, my spell card can destroy it." Zane explained as his cyclone ripped Y-Dragon Head from its union partner and destroyed it. "And with your Y-Dragon Head gone, your X-Head Cannon loses attack points." Zane reminded as Skrub's machine's stats dropped down to its original 1800 attack and 1500 defense. "But that means that your Cyber Dragon is stronger now!" Skrub exclaimed in realization. "Precisely. Cyber Dragon, destroy X-Head Cannon with strident blaze!" Zane commanded as his monster shot a burst of energy at Skrub's monsters, consuming it in fire and reducing Skrub's life points down to 6300.

"Way to go, Skrub!" Ferris scoffed. "Like you could've done any better!" Skrub snapped back. "I set one card facedown and end my turn." Zane interjected. "I'll show you I can do better." Ferris remarked as he drew a card. "I'll activate my facedown card Fine, which demands that I discard two cards from my hand." Ferris explained as he sent two cards to the graveyard. "Why would you discard two cards for no reason?" Becca asked confused. "Oh there was a reason: to activate my monsters' special abilities. When Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World and Sillva, Warlord of Dark World are sent to the graveyard from my hand, I can automatically special summon both of them." Ferris explained as his two new fiends emerged on the field, Beiige with 1600 attack and 1300 defense, and Sillva with 2300 attack and 1400 defense. "Those are some strong monsters." Zane commented. "Exactly, it's a strategy I've picked up from an old hero of mine. He was able to call out a strong monster on his first turn all the time, so I tried to mimic that." Ferris explained. "Are you talking about how Zane can summon Cyber Dragon on his first turn?" Becca asked.

"Exactly, I also try to summon a strong monster on my first or second turn. The difference? Mine is stronger. Sillva, Warlord of Dark World, destroy Zane's Cyber Dragon!" Ferris commanded as his fiend went to strike Zane's monster. "You can try to be like me, but you can never beat the original. I activate my facedown card Attack Reflector Unit! Now by sacrificing Cyber Dragon I can summon Cyber Barrier Dragon!" Zane explained as his new machine dragon emerged with 800 attack and 2800 defense. "And my new monster has a special ability: once per turn, I can block one of your attacks." Zane added as his dragon rose up a shield that absorbed and negated Ferris's attack. "Don't forget though, I have another monster. But this one I'm using on your little partner, Zane. Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World, attack Becca's life points directly." Ferris commanded as his fiend dashed forward, spear poised. "Did you think I'd be any weaker than Zane? Not so! I activate my trap card Birthright. This card lets me bring back one normal monster from my graveyard and summon it in attack mode. Come on back Luster Dragon!" Becca explained as her sapphire dragon re-emerged with 1900 attack and 1600 defense. "Fine, my attack's off. I end my turn." Ferris concluded, slightly frustrated.

"Then allow me." Becca said as she drew a card. "I sacrifice Luster Dragon in order to summon a strong monster of my own: Legendary Hero Lysander in attack mode!" Becca called as her dragon was replaced with a blonde warrior with electric blue eyes and 2300 attack and 1700 defense. "Nice try, but your monster has equal attack points with my Warlord." Ferris pointed out. "Yes, but that's not counting its special ability: Lysander gains 200 attack points for every monster in my graveyard. Granted I only have one, but the boost still helps." Becca explained as her warrior's attack points rose to 2500. "Now, Lysander take out his Warlord of Dark World!" Becca commanded as her legendary warrior unsheathed its blade and slashed apart Sillva, reducing Ferris' life points to 6100. "I set one card facedown and end my turn." Becca concluded. "Nice try, Ferris, but once again you leave everything up to me." Skrub remarked as he drew a card.

"Well if you're so confident, then let's see you do better!" Ferris remarked back. "I will. I activate the spell card Future Fusion. You know this card right, Zane? You should, because I learned this little technique from you, Zane. By sending my V- Tiger Jet and W- Wing Catapult from my deck to my graveyard, I'll be able to summon a new monster in two turns." Skrub explained. "Welcome to the future, Zane! Only here, you're not the big shot and best duelist around. We are!" Skrub laughed manically.


	22. Chapter 22: The Space Race

Chapter 22- The Space Race

"But until my new fusion monster arrives, I'll give you something else to play with in the meantime. I summon Z- Metal Tank in attack mode!" Skrub called as his one-eyed machine emerged with 1500 attack and 1300 defense. "But then I activate the magic card Limiter Removal! This is a fun card 'cause I doubles the attack points of all machine monsters on my side of the field for one turn, but then all my machines are destroyed." Skrub explained as his tank's attack points rose to 3000. "But that's more than enough time to crush you two. Z- Metal Tank, attack Legendary Hero Lysander!" Skrub commanded as his tank opened its missile firing ports. "Nice try, Skrub, but I'm one stop ahead of you. I activate my trap card Sakuretsu Armor! This automatically destroys your monster before its attack hits." Becca countered as Z- Metal Tank exploded. "Who's one step ahead of who? Maybe I wanted my Z- Metal Tank to be destroyed!" Skrub suggested. "Well did you?" Becca asked. "I did, so that I could activate this spell card: Last Will! See this card activates when I end a turn where one of my monsters was destroyed. Then I can summon a monster with less than 1500 attack points from my deck." Skrub explained.

"I'm just about ready to end my turn, and my Z- Metal Tank was destroyed this turn, so I can summon another machine. Get ready for the eye in the sky! I summon Satellite Cannon in attack mode!" Skrub called dramatically as a rocket launched behind him, sending his new monster into outer space with 0 attack and defense. "Your monster is in outer space?" Becca asked. "That's correct, my Satellite Cannon is thousands of miles high, past earth's atmosphere. It's more than enough for you until my Future Fusion monster arrives." Skrub affirmed. "It doesn't seem like that much without any attack or defense points. But I'm sure it has a special ability." Zane pointed out. "That's correct, at the end of every one of my turns, my Satellite Cannon gains 1000 attack points." Skrub explained as his Cannon charged to 1000 attack points. "Hmph, I was expecting something a bit stronger." Zane stated flatly as he drew a card.

"I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon in attack mode!" Zane called as his weaker version of Cyber Dragon emerged with 1100 attack and 600 defense. "Not by much, but my Proto-Cyber Dragon has more attack points than your monster. Proto-Cyber Dragon, attack Satellite Cannon!" Zane commanded as his machine dragon shot a blast of flare energy at the sky. However, its attack dissipated somewhere in the stratosphere and didn't even reach Skrub's Satellite. "My attack didn't even hit!" Zane exclaimed. "Did you expect it to? My monster is in outer space, remember? Not just any monster can hit it. In fact, my Satellite Cannon is immune to any attacks expect for the very strongest. However, I do still take life point damage." Skrub explained as his life points dropped to 6000. "I set one card facedown and end my turn." Zane concluded without comment. "Hey Ferris, let's see if you can top my Satellite! I doubt you can!" Skrub encouraged mockingly.

"Yea, yea, whatever, Skrub. I'll show you!" Ferris snapped back as he drew a card. "You may have fancy machines and stuff, but I play with style. Watch! I activate my signature card Fiend Juggling!" Ferris exclaimed as he started juggling the cards in his hand. "See, I might not have all the fancy gizmos that my partner has, but man do I know how to put on a good show! So just sit back and enjoy my little spell card. Here's how it works: I take one random card from my hand and send it to the graveyard." Ferris explained as he stopped juggling and slid a card into his graveyard. "But then I can draw a card from anywhere in my deck, and if it's a monster, then I can summon it. But if it's a spell or trap card, then I just add it to my hand and you lose 700 life points. So let's see what we got." Ferris added as he drew a card from somewhere in the middle of his deck. "Oh, too bad for you, it's a spell card so you lose 700 life points." Ferris revealed as a ball of fire flew from the card, striking Zane and Becca and dropping their life points to 7000. "But hey, that's alright, 'cause I can activate that spell card right now. Since I'll need a volunteer from the audience, I'll use my Dark World Dealings spell card to try to find one. With this card, each of us draws one card, but then we each have to discard one card. It's fun for everyone!" Ferris explained as all four duelists drew a card and then discarded.

"Well thanks partner." Skrub remarked after he drew and then discarded the only card in his hand. "I didn't do it for you, I did it for me. And for the sake of the show. But as for my next monster, I think he's going to be a real showstopper. I summon Zure, Knight of Dark World in attack mode!" Ferris called as his warrior fiend emerged with 1800 attack and 1500 defense. "Not a bad show, Ferris, but that monster isn't strong enough." Becca pointed out. "Maybe not for your monster, but I can still take out Zane's monster. Zure, attack Proto-Cyber Dragon!" Ferris commanded as his fiend jumped to rip apart Zane's dragon. "You think I don't have a little style of my own. I activate the trap card Cybernetic Hidden Technology! Now, by sacrificing Proto-Cyber Dragon, I can destroy your monster as well." Zane countered as both of their monsters fell into a pit of molten machines.

"Hey not bad, I knew my old hero still has some of that old style. The question is, how much? I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Ferris concluded his turn. "Style's cool and all, but it's not enough to win in this duel." Becca replied as she drew a card. "But I do have a little trick of my own. I activate the ritual spell card Synthesis Spell. Once I make my Legendary Hero Lysander disappear, I can special summon my Lycanthrope in attack mode!" Becca explained as her hero was sacrificed in the ritual to summon her wolf monster with 2400 attack and 1800 defense. "My new monster may be a little weaker than my former one, but he's got a special ability, one that I can enhance with this spell card. I activate Foolish Burial, which lets me send one monster directly from my deck to the graveyard, namely my Royal Expert Falconer." Becca explained as she discarded the card. "Now how could that possibly help out your monster's special ability?" Skrub asked skeptically.

"Let's find out. Lycanthrope, attack Ferris's life points directly!" Becca commanded as her wolf man prepared to pounce. "Whoa, heel wolf man, I've got a trap. I activate Magic Cylinder, which simply takes your attack and shoots it right back at your life points." Ferris countered as Lycanthrope jumped into one of the floating jars and was redirected right at Becca, slashing her and reducing her life points to 4600. "Well not exactly what I had in mind, but since I did deal battle damage, Lycanthrope's special ability activates, meaning that you lose 200 life points for every normal monster in my graveyard. Since I now have two, that's 400 points of damage." Becca explained as Ferris took the hit, reducing his life points to 5600. "With that done, I end my turn." Becca concluded. "Then it's my turn again to finish off where my partner couldn't." Skrub remarked as he drew a card. "Hey I played that fancy trap! That was cool wasn't it?!" Ferris protested. "Yea, whatever. Here's an even better card. I activate the Card of Sanctity! This card lets all of us draw from our hands until we're all holding six cards." Skrub explained as he and the other three duelists refreshed their hands. "You sure that was a good move?" Zane asked flatly as he looked over his new cards. "I would have to say yes. Because whatever you drew, can't compete with what I have here. I activate the equip spell Command Transmission and give it to my Satellite Cannon. This card gives my Satellite an every 200 attack points for every level it has. In case you're too slow on the math, that's 1000 attack points for a grand total of 2000." Skrub explained as a beam of light shot up from the card and was sent to his Satellite Cannon in space.

"And now that my Satellite is fully charged, lock on to Zane's signal and fire directly at his life points!" Skrub commanded as his Satellite took aim and prepared to fire. "I activate a trap card: Cybernetic Summoning!" Zane called to counter. "Now I can summon one Cyber Dragon directly from my deck in attack mode." Zane explained as his machine dragon emerged with 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "And because my Cyber Dragon has more attack points than your Satellite does now, you're out of luck." Zane smirked. "Not quite, Zane. I still have this: my Trap Booster spell card! And by simply discarding one card from my hand, I can activate a trap card directly from my hand. And I choose this one: Reinforcements! This gives my Satellite Cannon an extra 500 attack points, making it stronger than your Cyber Dragon and my attack is back on target. En garde!" Skrub countered as his Satellite's attack points rose to 2500 attack points and it finished its charging. As power surged through the spatial machine, it unleashed a devastating beam from its cannon, striking Zane's Cyber Dragon from above, destroying it and reducing his life points to 4200. "Ha how's that for power, Zane? But since I unleashed so much of it, my Satellite Cannon's attack points return to 0. But don't worry, its batteries will be charged again soon enough. I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Skrub concluded as his Satellite's attack points rose to 1000.

"I doubt your Satellite will be around long enough for it to charge." Zane stated as he drew a card. "Oh? And how do you figure that?" Skrub asked. "Because I have all that I need to take down your Satellite and put an end to your space race. Since I have no monsters, I can summon my Cyber Dragon without a sacrifice." Zane called as his machine dragon emerged with 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "Ha, you keep using the same monster again and again! When are you going to realize that doesn't work? After all, your Cyber Dragon has only five stars, but it needs seven to be able to destroy my Satellite." Skrub pointed out. "Skrub, I keep using the same monsters because they've never let me down before. In fact, it's time to call out my most loyal monster, one that I've had since I found out I was destined for it as a child. I activate Polymerization!" Zane called dramatically. "Oh no, are going to summon… wait a minute you can't summon your Cyber End Dragon because your other two Cyber Dragons are in the graveyard! Tough luck!" Skrub laughed in relief. "Obviously you don't know my strategies as well as you think you do. Otherwise you would've seen this card coming. I activate the quick play spell Cybernetic Fusion Support. At the cost of half of my life points, I can fuse the Cyber Dragon I have on the field with the two Cyber Dragons in my graveyard." Zane explained as his life points were cut to 2100.

"Now rise, Cyber End Dragon!" Zane called as his three-headed machine dragon emerged with a mighty roar, 4000 attack, and 2800 defense. "Oh no, not that monster!" Skrub exclaimed in fear. "Oh yes, that monster. And here's some more bad news for you, my Cyber End Dragon has ten stars. That means that he can take down your Satellite Cannon once and for all. Cyber End Dragon, destroy Skrub's Satellite Cannon with triple strident blaze!" Zane commanded as his signature dragon unleashed three bursts of energy that converged together and headed towards the sky. The blast ripped through the upper stratosphere and straight through the Satellite, destroying it. "No, my Satellite Cannon!" Skrub shouted as the debris fell as comets to earth and Skrub and Ferris's life points dropped to 2600. "Good job, Zane!" Becca exclaimed happily. "Thanks, I set one card facedown and end my turn." Zane concluded. "Well I must admit, Skrub, you really screwed up. I mean we almost lost the duel!" Ferris snapped at his partner. "Like you could have done any better!" Skrub snapped back. "Actually, I could have. In fact, I might be able to right now." Ferris remarked as he drew a card. "Indeed folks, we've reached that part of the show where we throw in everything we've got. You've been a wonderful audience, but get ready. Cause it's time now for our grand finale!" Ferris stated dramatically.


	23. Chapter 23: Grand Finale

Chapter 23- Grand Finale

"We've reached the final act of our grand performance, but that doesn't mean we still can't use an old, but still good, trick. I activate the effects of my Fiend Juggling spell card." Ferris stated as he began juggling his cards again. "In case you need the reminder, I randomly discard one card from my hand. Then I can draw another random card from anywhere in my deck." Ferris reminded them as he discarded a card, stopped juggling, and then reached into his deck. "Oh, too bad, I've drawn another spell card. And you know what that means: another 700 life points of damage as a floor prize." Ferris explained as he threw a flaming ball at Becca and Zane, reducing their life points to 1400. "Hmph, these cheap tricks are getting a little annoying." Zane stated flatly. "Wahaha, I can see you're having a blast! Well if you think that one was bad, then you'll find my next trick quite shocking. I activate the spell card I just drew, Dark World Lightning! With this electrifying spell card, I can destroy one facedown card on the field, and I choose Zane's. Send a bolt of lighting, very, very frightening!" Ferris explained as a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and eliminated Zane's facedown card.

"But while that was pretty cool, the main crux of that trick was to get a certain monster in my graveyard." Ferris revealed. "And what monster would that be?" Becca asked. "I'll show you, because with one last little spell card, I can summon him. I activate Gateway to Dark World! This lets me call forth a Dark World monster from my graveyard and automatically summon it." Ferris explained as he took out a set of multi-colored juggling balls from the pockets of his jacket and started fervently juggling them. "So let's give a round of applause for my grand finale, the super amazing Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World!" Ferris exclaimed as he tossed up all the balls at once. As they suddenly exploded in midair, causing a tiny burst of fireworks from each one, Ferris's strongest fiend emerged through a shadowy portal in the ground with 2500 attack and 1800 defense. "That's not a bad monster." Becca pointed out. "You like? Well then you're sure to like this move. Reign-Beaux, destroy Lycanthrope!" Ferris commanded as his fiend impaled Becca's wolf monster with its spear, destroying it with a howl and reducing Becca and Zane's life points to 1000.

"And with that done, I end my turn." Ferris concluded. "Alright, let's see if I can make a comeback." Becca stated as she drew a card. "I'm afraid this is all I can do. I set one monster facedown in defense mode and another two cards facedown." Becca sighed as she set the cards and ended her turn. "Ha, you call that a move? Even Ferris had a better round than that." Skrub scoffed as he drew a card. "Well thanks, I guess." Ferris glared back. "And because of that, I believe it's time for my big power play. Literally, because now that two turns have passed, my Future Fusion activates and I can summon the much anticipated VW- Tiger Catapult!" Skrub exclaimed as a dimensional hole opened in the sky and Skrub's fusion machine flew in with 2000 attack and 2100 defense. "We waited two turns for that?" Zane asked skeptically.

"Well yes, but the best is yet to come, because I activate my facedown card Evacuation Transmission! By sending one machine monster from my deck to the graveyard, I can remove from play up to three other machines from my graveyard. So I'll send my Cyber-Stein to the graveyard so that my X-Head Cannon, Y- Dragon Head, and Z- Metal Tank can vacate the premises." Skrub explained as he moved his cards around. "And what exactly was the point of that?" Becca asked confused. "The point? So I could activate my other trap card Return from the Different Dimension! At the cost of half of my life points now, I can summon as many removed from play monsters as I possibly can. Namely, the three I just removed." Skrub explained as his life points dropped to 800 and his three machine monsters emerged once again. "That's an impressive army of machines, but they can't get past my Cyber End Dragon." Zane pointed out. "Alone, perhaps not. But in my experience I've learned that sometimes one big monster is better than many little peons. You didn't really think I went through the trouble of summoning all of these guys just for the sake of summoning them, did you? No, I brought them all together to summon my own ultimate monster." Skrub revealed with an evil grin.

"I remove from play once again X- Head Cannon, Y- Dragon Head, and Z- Metal Tank in order to fuse them all together to create the mighty XYZ- Dragon Cannon!" Skrub exclaimed dramatically as his three machines fused together to create the new and improved machine with 2800 attack and 2600 defense. "But did you think I would stop there? Not quite! For now that I have two of the strongest machines ever constructed under my command, I can fuse them together to create the true mark of perfect engineering. By removing them from play, I can fuse VW- Tiger Catapult and XYZ- Dragon Cannon to create VWXYZ- Dragon Catapult Cannon!" Skrub shouted as his machines broke apart and fused back together as one to create the tall and mighty machine with 3000 attack and 2800 defense. "Alright, now we're talking!" Skrub shouted again happily as he jumped up and stood on top of his monster's head.

"That is an impressive monster, Skrub, but I'm afraid he's not enough. Cyber End Dragon…!" Zane shouted dramatically. "…Is nothing compared to my monster's special ability. Once per turn, I can use my monster's powerful cannons to remove from play one card on my opponent's side of the field. En garde, Zane." Skrub explained as he raised his arm and his monster fired twin blasts of cannon fire at Zane's Cyber End Dragon, removing it from the game. "Ha, and with him gone, VWXYZ- Dragon Catapult Cannon, attack Zane's life points directly. So sorry, old hero, but it's all over!" Skrub commanded as his monster fired two more charges directly at Zane. "Not so fast, Skrub! Forget about me? I activate the trap card Negate Attack, which as the name implies, negates your attack. We're still in this, Skrub!" Becca countered as a vortex opened up and absorbed the cannon fire. "Not bad, kid. I end my turn." Skrub concluded. "Thanks Becca." Zane nodded. "No problem, Zane, anytime." Becca replied.

"Well I can handle myself this turn. My move!" Zane stated as he drew a card. "I summon Cyber Phoenix to the field in defense mode." Zane called as his fiery machine bird emerged with 1200 attack and 1600 defense. "Then I set one card facedown and end my turn." Zane concluded simply. "Why, Zane, I must admit I'm slightly disappointed. I expected so much more out of my old hero." Ferris admitted. Zane simply stared him down without saying anything. "But I suppose all good things must come to an end." Ferris shrugged as he drew a card. "Speaking of ends, I'm afraid it's time to close the curtain on this grand performance. So for the last time, let's give one more round of applause for my Fiend Juggling spell card!" Ferris exclaimed as he began juggling his cards again. After sliding one card into his graveyard slot on his duel disk, he drew a random card from the middle of his deck. "Well what do you know, I've actually drawn a monster card this time. So let's give a warm welcome to Brron, Mad King of Dark World!" Ferris called as his wicked monarch emerged with 1800 attack and 400 defense.

"The Dark World army has been raised, so let's march on to battle. Brron, Mad King of Dark World, destroy Zane's Cyber Phoenix!" Ferris commanded as his fiendish ruler dashed forward and ripped apart Zane's monster. "By destroying my Cyber Phoenix, I'm able to draw a card." Zane reminded as he drew his card. "Whatever you drew has no significance now. Because for my encore, I'll send Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World to take out Becca's facedown monster." Ferris also commanded as his fiend rose up and impaled its spear through the facedown monster card. The tiny squirrel monster flashed and screeched before it entered oblivion. "I also have a monster with an effect that activates when it's destroyed. Since you sent my Nimble Momonga to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points. But then I can summon two more Nimble Momongas facedown in defense mode." Becca explained as her life points rose to 2000 and two more little creatures emerged on the field, hidden beneath cards. "Hey I don't allow animals at my show! But don't worry, they'll be gone soon enough, just you wait. I end my turn." Ferris concluded.

"Alright, then it's my turn again." Becca stated as she drew a card. "Well, guys, it's been a fun duel, but I'm going to end it right here with my big finale." Becca stated with a smile. "Impossible!" Skrub shouted. "Oh no, it's very possible. I sacrifice both of my facedown Nimble Momongas in order to summon my favorite monster Legendary Heroine Summer!" Becca called as her powerful and beautiful warrior emerged with 2600 attack and 2300 defense. "Whew, when you were going on about a big finale, I was getting a little worried, but that monster's not too bad." Ferris sighed. "You don't think so? Well then just wait till you see her special ability. When she's summoned to the field, I gain life points equal to the attack points of one of your monsters. And since you have that big bad VWXYZ- Dragon Catapult Cannon on the field, I can gain 3000 life points." Becca explained as her and Zane's life points rose to 5000. "Alright, it's time now for a real finale. And I have just the spell card to end this duel right here and now. But I'm going to have to borrow a few life points. Do you mind, Zane?" Becca asked. "Do what you have to do and win." Zane nodded in approval.

"Thanks, partner. In that case, I activate the spell card Glory of the Heart Essences! First I have to send two monsters of the same type and equal level from my deck to the graveyard. So I'll send my Great Hunter Falcon Kirrendal and Stealth Bird, both level three winged beasts, to my graveyard." Becca explained as she discarded the cards. "With the sacrifice made, now Zane and my life points drop to 1000." Becca added as her life points dropped to 1000. "I'm still waiting for the downside to this card for us." Ferris pointed out sarcastically. "Well then here it is. All of the life points that I gave up now go to my Legendary Heroine in the form of attack points." Becca revealed. "But that means…" Skrub said in fear. "That's right, Summer gains 4000 attack points." Becca stated dramatically as her warrior's attack points rose to 6600. "Whoa no, wait! Can't we work something out? A refund maybe?" Ferris pleaded. "Not a chance, guys. Legendary Heroine Summer, destroy Brron, Mad King of Dark World and end this duel!" Becca commanded as her warrior fired a shock wave from her sword, ripping apart Ferris's monster. "The king has left the building. We win." Becca stated as her opponents' life points dropped down to a final 0.


	24. Chapter 24: Advancement

Chapter 24- Advancement

"What?! No, we lost! No way! Ah!" Skrub exclaimed as the holograms faded and he comically fell to the ground from atop his monster's head. "That's right, Skrub we won." Zane affirmed. "Argh, this is all your fault Ferris! You held me back!" Skrub shouted at his partner as he stood up again. "My fault?! At least I looked cool with my juggling tricks. You just looked lame with your big machines and stuff!" Ferris snapped back. "Yea, well at least I had some skill instead of relying on luck and cheap parlor tricks!" Skrub yelled. "If you have so much skill, then why did we lose?" Ferris yelled back. "Because you're a loser!" Skrub shouted. "Enough! Don't you see, this is exactly why you two lost: because you don't have any teamwork skills." Becca pointed out as she attempted to break up the argument. "What do you mean?" Ferris asked. "In these tag team duels, the key to winning is for partners to work together with each other, not argue all the time." Zane explained. "Well that kinda makes sense I guess." Ferris admitted. "Exactly, see in these kinds of duels, teamwork is essential to winning. Our victory here proves that." Becca repeated.

"Alright, maybe you have a point, but the end result is we both lost and there's nothing we can do about that." Skrub stated. "True, but we can learn from this and do better in the future. And in all of honesty, it was a fun duel." Ferris admitted. "I suppose that is something we can agree on." Skrub smiled. "True enough, partner. Still friends?" Skrub offered his hand. "Definitely." Ferris smiled back as he shook Skrub's hand. "I don't mean to break up this touching moment, but since we won, you owe us your half heart pendant." Zane reminded them. "Oh yea, I almost forgot." Ferris said as he reached into his jacket pocket. "Here you go. Good luck in the tournament!" Ferris offered as he handed the pendant to Zane. Zane nodded in reply as Skrub and Ferris turned around and walked away into the woods.

"Hey, good dueling there, partner." Becca congratulated Zane. "Thank you, although it was you that delivered the final blow." Zane replied. "Yea, but that was only possible because we worked together. And now with this heart pendant, we're headed off to the actual Championship." Becca reminded as she took out her half heart and fused it with the other to create a full heart pendant. "Hey Becca…" Zane began. "Yea?" Becca replied. "You're a good duelist. I'm glad we entered this tournament together." Zane admitted with a serious face. "Thanks, Zane. Now do you mean that because I'm a good duelist or is there another reason?" Becca questioned.

Zane was about to answer when a different voice echoed through the clearing. "Zane? Becca? Is that you?" James's voice called as he and Kristiann burst through the woods into the clearing. "Hey, yea, it's us." Becca replied as James and Kristiann walked up to them. "Well I figured, it was kind of a rhetorical question. We heard some dueling action and came over to check it out. Oh man, are we too late? Did you guys win?" James asked. "Of course, they couldn't keep us down with our awesome dueling skills." Becca replied as she held up their completed heart pendant. "Cool, we won our duel too!" Kristiann added as she held up their own heart pendant. "Alright, then I guess we're ready to head off to the castle then." James stated. "Yes, it would appear so. Let's move out then." Zane encouraged. "Yea, let's go! Uh, where exactly is the castle?" James asked. "That way, you didn't know that?" Becca pointed. "Uh, of course I knew, I was just testing you." James laughed as the four walked off in the direction, the real direction, of Pegasus's Castle.

When they arrived at the castle, it was late afternoon. Zane, Becca, Kristiann, and James stood at the base of a long staircase that led up to the main double doors. "Jeez, that's an unnecessarily long staircase!" James complained. "Yea, but think of it this way: we're almost there." Kristiann encouraged as they party walked up the stairway. When they reached the top, the four stood in front of the large doors. Also standing in front of the doorway was Pegasus's main henchman, Kemo the announcer. "Can I help you, kids?" Kemo asked the four. "Yes, we're here to enter the castle and the International Tag Team Championship." Zane told him. "Do you have a complete heart pendant?" Kemo asked. In response, Becca held up their heart pendant. "Excellent! Do you two have one too?" Kemo asked James and Kristiann. "We sure do." Kristiann replied as she held up her team's pendant. "Alright then, congratulations! You're all clear to enter the castle!" Kemo exclaimed as he snapped his fingers. Upon command, the large doors to the castle creaked open, revealing the entranceway into the castle.

"Awesome, let's go in!" James exclaimed as the four of them walked inside. The first inner area was a large courtyard with another set of doors at the other end. A concrete path led up to the doors and trees lined the path with grass filling the rest of the courtyard. The doors were closed, but about a dozen people were milling around the courtyard. "I wonder what's going on here." Becca thought out loud. "Hey, you guys made it in too!" A familiar female voice called out as Amy Lee and Bastion ran up to meet James, Kristiann, Zane, and Becca. "Hey, Amy, yea we made it. Did you expect anything less?" Kristiann retorted in a friendly manner. "Good show, chaps! We obviously won our pendant as well." Bastion added. "So why is everyone just waiting outside the castle?" James asked. "I'm actually not all too sure." Bastion answered.

"I can tell you." Another familiar voice stated as the red-headed Adrian and Echo walked up to the party of six. "Adrian Gecko?" Zane asked a little shocked. "The one and only." Adrian replied. "Well I'll be, I haven't seen you in quite a while." Bastion stated. "Yea, we've been away for a while, but we're back to take the duel circuit by storm!" Echo replied confidently. "More school friends, Zane?" Becca asked her dueling partner, who nodded in reply. "So how come everybody's just waiting here outside?" Kristiann asked. "See, not all of the teams have gotten here yet. There's supposed to be sixteen teams to enter the castle, but only fifteen of them are actually here." Adrian explained as a few more duelists walked into the courtyard in the background. "So once all of the teams arrive, then they'll let everyone in?" Zane asked to clarify. "That's right. But that last team better hurry, because the cutoff time is sunset. After that, if the team's not here, they'll be disqualified." Echo explained. "Well then they'd better get here soon, or it's over for them." Amy pointed out. "Yea, I'm sure they're on their way as we speak…" Adrian stated.

Meanwhile…

"Pick up the pace, Xime, it's almost sunset! If we don't find another team to duel soon, we're screwed!" The biker guy Lance shouted to his partner as they ran through a path in the woods. "There's no need to scream, we'll find our team." The robed Xime assured him. "Yea, but we have to find them quick or else we'll be disqualified! And I can't allow that, if we lose even before we duel, we'll never prove our worth!" Lance yelled. "First my friend, please calm your nerve. Then we'll get what we deserve." Xime urged.+ "Xime, I know you're calm about everything, but this is one thing we can get fired up about." Lance told him as they stopped running and stood in a clearing in the woods. "After all, we used to be at the top of the list, remember. We used to be the best villains any story has ever seen, but look at us now, we're just comic relief!" Lance practically yelled. "It just frustrates me, that's all. But once we win this tournament here, we'll prove our worth! Who knows, maybe we'll even get used again as real villains! But in order to do that, we have to get into that tournament. And that means finding an opponent!" Lance finished as he took off again.

He ran not three feet, when all of a sudden, a man stepped out of the forest and ran smack into Lance, causing both of them to fall to the ground in a comical fashion. "Hey, watch where you're going, pal!" Lance shouted at the man. As the two got up, Lance and Xime got a good look at the mysterious fellow. He was dressed all in a fuzzy black suit, leaving only his face and hands showing. He wore black fuzzy boots and the part of the suit on his head had two little ears sticking out of the top. Despite this man's odd clothing, there was a touch of normality in the duel disk he wore over his left arm. The strange man looked at Lance and Xime and then gave a huge grin. "Hello, I have a question for you. Who's cuter, Pikachu or me?" The strange man asked in an overly friendly voice. "What the hell?! I don't even like Pokémon!" Lance asked in confusion.

"Oh Imakuni? Is that you?" A soft female voice also called out. From another forest path, a young woman daintily ran out. She wore an elegant white dress, had brown eyes, and wore a little tiara on top of a head of blonde-brown, curly hair. She also wore an elegant looking duel disk on her left arm. "It seems all logic has completely gone. What the heck is going on?" Xime asked in confusion. "Well you see, Imakuni and I were just looking for an opponent to duel against to enter the tournament before it gets too late, and we had almost lost hope when we heard voices. Imakuni went to go check it out and I guess found you guys." The overdressed young lady explained. "Are you two wearing some kind of disguise? Who exactly are you guys?" Xime asked. "Oh how rude of me! You may call me the White Princess, and this is my friend, Imakuni." The White Princess introduced.

"This is just getting freaky, a princess and some freaky dude who thinks he's cuter than Pikachu! But I don't really care at the moment, because time is running out. We gotta duel right here and now!" Lance demanded as he activated his duel disk. "Oh ho, a duel! Fun, fun, fun!" Imakuni sang as he too activated his duel disk. "Well I don't see why not, we appear to be the last ones left. Alright, we'll duel right here and now." The White Princess stated as she activated her duel disk. "Better get ready, we're going rule, as we say in the biz…" Xime began as he too activated his duel disk. Both teams' life points were set to 8000 and all four drew their opening hands. "It's time to duel!" They all shouted in unison as the final duel before the actual Championship began.


	25. Chapter 25: Miscellaneous Weirdness

Chapter 25- Miscellaneous Weirdness

"Since I probably have the most sense out of anyone here, I'll start off this duel." Lance stated as he drew a card. "And to begin, I'll summon my Goblin Zombie in attack mode." Lance called as his undead fiend emerged with 1100 attack and 1050 defense. "That's a good way to start. I'll set one other card facedown and end my turn." Lance concluded his turn. "It's my turn then." The White Princess stated as she drew a card. "And I'll start off by summoning a little cutie: my T.A.D.P.O.L.E. in defense mode." The White Princess called as her tiny amphibian emerged with 0 attack and defense. "A little tadpole?! That's pathetic!" Lance laughed. "Well for your information, my tadpole is stronger than it looks. I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn." The White Princess concluded.

"Those last two moves were kind of sad, but don't you worry, I'll make things rad." Xime promised as he drew a card. "Come on and fill my cup, The Six Samurai- Yariza is sure to shake things up!" Xime called as his spear-wielding warrior emerged with 1000 attack and 500 defense. "He might not be that strong, but he's still on a roll. Six Samurai- Yariza, attack T.A.D.P.O.L.E!" Xime commanded as his warrior jumped up and slashed the amphibian on the way down, destroying it. "There may be no difference to your score, but your T.A.D.P.O.L.E. is still no more." Xime stated. "Well maybe I wanted you to destroy this T.A.D.P.O.L.E. Because now I can add any number of T.A.D.P.O.L.E's from my deck to my hand. And I have two more right here." The White Princess explained as she added the two monsters to her hand. "That won't do you much, as you'll soon learn. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Xime concluded.

"Whoopee, Whoopee, my move, my move!" Imakuni exclaimed in a sing-song voice as he jumped happily and drew a card. "Yay! I play the spell card Party Time! This is a super fun card for everyone! First me has to give up 1000 life points, then we can boogie!" Imakuni explained as his life points dropped to 7000. "Now all four of us have to sing and do a super awesome party dance! The person who does the best dance gets 2000 life points." Imakuni explained. "Is this guy for real?" Lance asked, both disturbed and confused. "Mia he! Mia hoo! Mia ha! Mia haha!" Imakuni sang as he did some kind of funky dance move. "This is just Imakuni's dueling style. He uses cards that are really weird, but fun at the same time. Come on, try it!" The White Princess encouraged as she too started dancing. "Well I don't dance much, but have no fear. Insert stereotypical Asian music here!" Xime stated a he attempted to dance as well. "You're all a bunch of amateurs when it comes to dancing. Check out what a real dancing dude can do!" Lance exclaimed as he started break dancing. "Blast off, it's party time and we don't live in a Fascist nation! Blast off, it's party time and where the…" Lance sang as he broke down with his bad self.

"Oh, whoa, ok, ok. You are the dancing master! 2000 life points for you!" Imakuni conceded as Lance and Xime's life points rose to 10000. "Whoa, yea, not a bad prize." Lance stated as he got up again and caught his breath. "Me end my turn." Imakuni concluded. "Wait, Imakuni, you didn't summon a monster." The White Princess pointed out. "Oh well, it's too late." Lance laughed as he drew a card. "And believe me, I'll take full advantage of your little mishap. I summon Diskblade Rider in attack mode!" Lance called as his motorcycle riding monster emerged with 1700 attack and 1500 defense. "Now, Diskblade Rider, run all over him!" Lance commanded as his fiend revved its engine and smashed into Imakuni, dropping his life points to 5300. "And don't think I forgot, you. Goblin Zombie, attack the White Princess!" Lance also commanded as his zombie slashed the girl and her life points to 4200. "And my Goblin Zombie has a special ability: when he deals damage out to your life points, you have to discard the top card of your deck." Lance explained as the White Princess sighed and discarded the card. "I'll rock it with one more facedown card and end my turn." Lance concluded.

"Alright, it's my turn then." The White Princess stated as she drew a card. "I suppose I have been slacking, so I'll try to make up for it now. I summon another T.A.D.P.O.L.E. in defense mode!" The White Princess called as another of her infant amphibians emerged with 0 attack and defense. "I thought you said you would do better, but that weakling isn't even as strong as a sweater." Xime chuckled. "Yea, you think that now, but not after I activate my trap card: Ultimate Offering! Now at the cost of 500 life points per monster, I can normal summon another monster this turn. So I'll give up 500 of our life points and sacrifice my T.A.D.P.O.L.E. in order to summon Des Frog in attack mode!" The White Princess explained as her new, fully grown frog emerged with 1900 attack and 0 defense. "But my Des Frog also has a special ability, when he's summoned to the field, I can summon even more Des Frogs from my deck, one for every T.A.D.P.O.L.E. in my graveyard, for a grand total of two!" The White Princess added as two more green frogs emerged from her deck and her life points dropped to 3700.

"Now my froggy friends, go on into battle! Des Frog number one, attack Diskblade Rider!" The Princess commanded as her frog shot its long tongue at Lance's monster. "I have a trap of my own! I activate Negate Attack, which blocks all of your incoming attacks this turn." Lance countered as a vortex emerged to block Des Frog's attack. "Oh well, my frogs will just have to wait till next turn. I end my turn." The White Princess concluded. "Then let's have a real duelist return. I draw a card, 'cause it's my turn." Xime stated as he drew a card. "This game is fun, it's better than Jumanji. Let's keep it rolling with The Six Samurai- Zanji!" Xime called as his second warrior emerged with 1800 attack and 1300 defense. "You'll find destroying my Samurai to be rather hard, made even harder by my Mist Body card!" Xime added as he equipped his Samurai- Zanji with the spell card, causing part of its body to fade in and out of a mist.

"Well whatever spell you play, my Des Frogs still have more attack points than your Samurai does." The White Princess pointed out. "That may be true, but my monster now can't be destroyed. Plus he still has a special ability to be deployed. Zanji attack and destroy her frog, slice it apart with your Samurai fog!" Xime commanded as his misty warrior went to attack Des Frog with its weapon. "Now hold on a second, I have a trap card. I activate Froggy Forcefield! Since one of my frogs was targeted by an attack, this trap destroys all of your monsters." The Princess explained as a force field emerged to block the attack. "But I have a trap too, it's quite the slammer. I'll negate your trap with my own Trap Jammer!" Xime countered as his trap negated the Princess's, leaving her frog wide open for the attack. Zanji hit Des Frog with its blade, but the frog withstood the attack. "Since your monster is stronger, damage is still dealt. But my monster's ability still makes your frog melt!" Xime explained as his life points dropped to 9900 and one of the Princess's frogs was destroyed. "I have one more trick up my sleeve, of some of your life points I can relieve. Six Samurai- Yariza attack, some of Imakuni's life points feel free to hack." Xime commanded as his warrior stabbed Imakuni, causing him to wince and drop his life points down to 2700. "I'm sure I'm leaving you saying 'holy cow,' but have no fear, I end my turn now." Xime concluded.

"Yippee, my turn again!" Imakuni exclaimed as he drew a card. "Oh no, not this again. I wonder what he has this time." Lance sighed as he rolled his eyes. "I play the super happy card Hug of Life! Now me pick one duelist and they have to give me a hug! Then they can bring back one monster from their graveyard!" Imakuni explained as he outstretched his arms for a hug. "Agg, I wouldn't hug you to bring every monster back from my graveyard!" Lance exclaimed terrified. "Aww, meanie! That's ok, 'cause I choose my partner to give me a hug! You will won't you?" Imakuni asked as he turned to her direction. "Of course I'll give you a hug, Imakuni!" The White Princess said happily as she ran to Imakuni and gave the strange man a big hug. "Ahh, I love a good hug, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." Imakuni sighed still in the embrace. "Me too." The White Princess agreed. "I don't know if this is some kind of trick, but all this huggy stuff is making me sick." Xime gagged.

"Ahh, there, all done. Now you can summon a monster from your graveyard." Imakuni reminded his partner as they returned to their original positions. "Why thank you, friend. In that case, I'm bringing back my Des Frog in attack mode!" The White Princess called happily as her frog returned to her with 1900 attack and 0 defense. "Yay! Ok, I think that's it for me for now." Imakuni shrugged. "Wait, Imakuni, shouldn't you summon a monster too?" The White Princess suggested. "Oh yea, I guess so. Ok, I summon Ojama Black in defense mode." Imakuni called as his little black dude emerged with 0 attack and 1000 defense. "Oh, and I set this card facedown too. Ok, now I end my turn." Imakuni concluded. "Agg! Frogs, song and dance, hugs, and now Ojamas! I can't take much more of this miscellaneous weirdness!" Lance screamed comically. "I know it's strange, but don't succumb. Because I have a feeling the worst is yet to come." Xime gulped.


	26. Chapter 26: Revved Up

Chapter 26- Revved Up

"Well whatever is coming our way, I'm taking it head on!" Lance stated as he drew a card. "Now try to keep up 'cause things are about to get hot! I sacrifice my Diskblade Rider and my Goblin Zombie in order to summon my Skull Flame in attack mode!" Lance called as his two monsters disappeared in a fiery blaze to herald the entrance of his fiery zombie with 2600 attack and 2000 defense. "And before I forget, when my Goblin Zombie is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can add one zombie monster that has less than 1200 defense points to my hand." Lance explained as he searched his deck for a card, took it, and reshuffled. "That's pretty convenient too because now I'm gonna activate the special ability of my new Skull Flame and special summon this Burning Skull Head in attack mode!" Lance added as his rather frightening flaming skull emerged with 1000 attack and 800 defense. "And he's got a special ability too! When Burning Skull Head is summoned from my hand, you take 1000 points of damage. Take that, losers!" Lance exclaimed as a burst of fire shot up and reduced the White Princess and Imakuni's life points to 1700.

"Since I summoned my Skull Head this turn, I can't attack, but whatever. I end my turn anyways." Lance concluded. "Alright, it's my turn then." The White Princess stated as she drew a card. "I play Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards and then discard two." The Princess explained as she drew and discarded the cards. "It doesn't matter what you draw, you don't have the strength, our power is law." Xime boasted. "Oh yea, you sure about that? I think this card will change your mind. I activate Des Croaking! Since I have three Des Frogs on my side of the field, this card destroys all cards on your side of the field." The White Princess explained. "That's crazy!" Lance exclaimed in protest. "Not so, it is pretty awesome though. Sing, my froggies, sing!" The White Princess commanded as the chorus of frogs unleashed their power, destroying all of Lance and Xime's cards.

"Now let me guess, you're going to attack us with all of your Des Frogs." Lance predicted. "Actually, I think I'm going to summon something else instead. And this card will make it all possible. I activate Polymerization! Now I can fuse together all three of my Des Frogs in order to bring out my strongest monster: D.3.S Frog in attack mode!" The White Princess called out as her three frogs became one massive toad with 2500 attack and 2000 defense. "Well of all the power to be had, I must admit that monster's not bad." Xime commented. "You think so? Well just wait until his special ability activates. My D.3.S. Frog gains 500 attack points for every Treeborn Frog in my graveyard." The White Princess explained. "But you don't have any Treeborn Frogs in your graveyard." Lance pointed out. "On contraire, I do have one in my graveyard. You know how I had to discard two cards when I played Graceful Charity? Well one of them just happened to be Treeborn Frog! So D.3.S Frog gains 500 attack points!" The Princess explained as her toad's attack points rose to 3000.

"Now it's time for some real damage! D.3.S. Frog, attack Lance's life points directly!" The White Princess commanded as her toad let out a belt and shot its tongue at Lance, striking him and reducing his life points to 6900. "That's all for now, I end my turn." The White Princess concluded. "Your Frog may fill us with a kind of dread, but don't get cocky, we're still ahead." Xime stated as he drew a card. "But I can do something as you will see, I summon The Six Samurai- Yaichi!" Xime called as his bow-wielding warrior emerged with 1300 attack and 800 defense. "D.3.S. Frog might be too strong to attack, but I can still destroy your puny Ojama Black." Xime stated as his warrior cocked an arrow and prepared to attack. "Wait! I have a trap card here! I activate Topsy Turvey!" Imakuni countered as a platform appeared beneath Xime, causing him to stand upon it. "All your cards are kind of queer, but I have to ask, what's going on here?!" Xime asked as the platform began spinning. "Round and round and round you go! And when you stop, you have to point to the target you want to attack. Just tell it when to stop." Imakuni grinned as the spinning platform reached maximum speed. "If you don't hurry you'll need a mop, ugh, before I puke, please just stop!" Xime shouted as the platform stopped spinning and disappeared back into the ground.

"Ok. Now go ahead, pick a target." Imakuni encouraged. "Ugh, I'm so dizzy I can't see straight, Yaichi attack that, there's no need to wait." Xime commanded as he pointed directly at Lance. "You idiot, that's me you're pointing at!" Lance yelled as Xime's Samurai turned and pointed its arrow at him. "Too late, watch out!" Imakuni laughed as the arrow was shot at Lance, reducing his life points to 5600. "Oh, I am sorry to hit you my friend. I set one card facedown and my turn comes to an end." Xime concluded. "Woohoo, my turn again!" Imakuni exclaimed as he drew a card. He looked at his hand for a moment with a goofy look on his face and then he looked like he got a sudden spark of inspiration. "I got it! I summon Ojama Green in defense mode!" Imakuni called as his green little freak emerged with 0 attack and 1000 defense. "Hehe, his tongue is sticking out, it funny." Imakuni giggled to himself. "How old is this guy?" Lance asked sarcastically as he rolled his eyes in a very annoyed fashion. "Ok, that ends my turn." Imakuni concluded. "Wait, Imakuni, that's it?! Surely you can play something else." The White Princess pleaded. "Hmm, nope I don't think so." Imakuni replied looking slightly confused.

"Oh well, it's too late now anyways." Lance interrupted as he drew a card. "Finally, I can pull the plug on this duel once and for all. It's a good thing too, because this is just plain weird. Anyways, I activate the spell card Snatch Steal!" Lance called out. "Ha, I can end this duel in a true villain fashion! My Snatch Steal card lets me take control of any one of my opponent's monsters. You know what they say, old habits die hard. So I'll steal your D.3.S. Frog and make it my own!" Lance explained as the toad moved to his side of the field. "Oh no! It's all over now isn't it?" The White Princess sighed. "Why yes it is, but don't worry, I'm ending this in style. I activate the ritual spell card Revival of Dokurorider! Now by sacrificing D.3.S. Frog, I can summon my most favorite monster, Dokurorider in attack mode!" Lance called as the massive toad fell in a large hole in the ground. From the newly created abyss, the motorcycle-riding skeleton fiend emerged with 1900 attack and 1850 defense.

"Why would you do that, though?" The White Princess questioned. "Because I'm ending things my way. And my way is to run you down with my skull motorcycle monster. Dokurorider, attack The White Princess directly and put an end to this madness!" Lance commanded as his monster revved up its engine and smashed into the Princess, reducing her life points to a final 0. "We lost!" Imakuni cried loudly as the holograms vanished. "Yea, and about time too." Lance added. "Well I must say that was a fun duel. We admit defeat. Here take this." The White Princess conceded as she handed her half heart pendant to Lance.

"Thanks for the pendant, it was a bit of a hassle, but now that we have two we can enter the castle." Xime stated as he and Lance put the halves together. "Speaking of which, we have to hurry it up… agh!" Lance began but was soon assaulted into a group hug by Imakuni, who pulled both him and Xime into it. "That was a fun duel, friends!" Imakuni stated with a laugh. "Get away from us, loser!" Lance gasped as he and his partner broke free. "Come on and let's go, not one more rhyme. We really have to rev it up to make it on time!" Xime encouraged as he and Lance started to run. "You're right, Xime. In fact, we'll probably make it conveniently just in time. That kind of thing always happens in these stories." Lance added as the two made a mad dash towards Pegasus' Castle.


	27. Chapter 27: The Workings of Destiny

Chapter 27- The Workings of Destiny

"Attention duelists! As you probably already know, there is still one last pair of duelists who are supposed to enter the tournament, but have not made it here yet. They have exactly three minutes from now to make it here or they will be disqualified." Kemo told the crowd of duelists gathered outside of Pegasus's castle. "Oh wow, that last team better get here fast." Kristiann commented. "I'll say, because if they don't, they'll be disqualified." Bastion added. "Do you really have to repeat what they just announced for dramatic effect?" Adrian asked. "Um, yes." Bastion replied. "Well personally, I don't really care if they show up or not." Zane stated. "Yea, but it wouldn't really be fair to be disqualified just because of a time limit." Becca pointed out. "True, but I wouldn't worry, they'll be here soon enough." James encouraged.

Kemo the announcer tapped his foot a couple of times and glanced down at his watch. "Attention duelists, it appears that the last pair of duelists is not going to make it. In that case, they are…" Kemo began but was cut off when two men burst into the courtyard. "Here! We… made… it!" Lance gasped as he held up the completed heart pendant. "Across the island, we had to run, but we made it here to have some fun." Xime also gasped as he and Lance struggled to catch their breath. "Uh, well, in that case, I guess you two are in." Kemo shrugged. "Hey, Adrian, do those two guys look familiar?" Echo asked her partner. "Hmm, I don't think so." Adrian replied. "Well then it looks like everyone is finally here, so if everyone would please enter the castle in an orderly fashion and we can get this tournament under way!" Kemo shouted as the double doors to the castle swung open. With a cheer, groups of duelists began filing into the castle.

"Alright, let's go!" James exclaimed happily as he and the rest of his group worked their way towards the entrance. As they were trying to get into the castle however, someone pushed James from the side. "Whoa, sorry about that." James apologized to the cloaked man. The man was completely hidden underneath a green robe; he even wore a hood over his head. The mysterious man didn't say a word, but smirked a little and then continued his way inside. "Who was that guy?" Kristiann asked. "I don't know, but he's got a friend too." James pointed out as a second robed man followed the first into the castle. "They're probably just another pair of duelists. Come on, let's get inside." Amy encouraged as the entire party of duelists filtered into Pegasus's castle.

The main foyer of the castle was a large elegant room, almost completely empty of furniture, but had a few doors leading out of it on both sides of the rectangle. At the opposite end of the room where all the duelists entered was a large staircase that led up to a second floor, where there were more doorways. Standing at the top of the staircase was the big man himself, Maximilian Pegasus. "Well there he is." Zane stated flatly as the doors behind them closed. "Greetings and welcome to my humble home!" Pegasus began with a happy greeting and outstretched arms. "I'm glad to see that all of you made it here and congratulations on your respective victories! I hope those preliminary duels strengthened your sense of teamwork and dueling skills." Pegasus continued as he got a tiny bit more serious. "But just know that all of the preliminary duels are done and over. From here on out, things get serious. You are the best of the best in tag team dueling, but over the next few days, we will see just which team claims the top prize. Speaking of which, the prize cards are complete and ready. See for yourself." Pegasus told them as he pulled two cards from his suit jacket and showed the facedown side of them to the crowd of duelists.

"Of course, these cards will not be completely revealed until the champions are crowned. Which brings us to our next order of business..." Pegasus continued as he slipped the cards back into his jacket pocket. "You will find two doors, one on either side of this staircase. They both lead to the same room, so please calmly enter and the next phase of this tournament shall begin in earnest." Pegasus explained as two henchmen opened the aforementioned doors and held them open. There was some slight chattering as thirty-two duelists filed in through those doors to the next room. "Jeez, how many doors will we have to go through until we can actually start this tournament?" James asked rhetorically. "I don't know, but I hope we get there soon." Zane replied emotionlessly as the party of duelists made it into the next room. There were some gasps as everyone looked upon the large machine that was positioned against the wall. Against the far wall of the room was a large TV screen. Beneath the TV screen were eight doors and next to each door were two tubes that connected to the large TV. "What is that thing?" Echo asked rhetorically. "I see you've all seen Industrial Illusions newest creation, made just for this tournament." Pegasus stated the obvious as he appeared on a balcony on one of the side walls.

"This machine is how we will determine who faces whom in the tournament. As you can see, there are eight doors and each door has two slots next to it, one on each side." Pegasus began. "Naturally since there are sixteen teams of duelists, there will be eight duels in the first round. In case you haven't figured it out yet, each duel will take place in rooms through each of these doors. But the question is, which teams will duel through which doors? Well that is exactly what this machine is going to determine for us." Pegasus explained. "You see, every duelist has one card that they value more than all the others. In the biz, we call this a key card or a signature card. Every duelist has one and that one card in their deck represents everything for them. What I am asking is that each one of you place your signature card into one of the slots here. Each team has one slot to use and should place both of their cards into the same slot. Then this amazing machine will shuffle all of your cards together and determine the tournament brackets. Well, get to it." Pegasus finished as teams of duelists began placing their cards into the various slots.

"You know this is actually kind of a cool concept: each duelist putting in their favorite cards. Why didn't I think of that?" James said in admiration. "I don't know, but I guess this is a good way to determine who faces who." Kristiann agreed as she and James walked up to one of the slots. "Well here goes nothing. Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning, that's my key card." James stated as he placed the card into one of the slots. "Shining Arctic Queen is mine of course." Kristiann added as she placed her card on top of James's. "Cyber End Dragon has been with me for a long time. It's fitting we're together still for this tournament." Zane stated as he placed his key card in the slot next to James and Kristiann's. "I've always felt a deep connection to my Legendary Heroine Summer." Becca added as she placed her card on top of Zane's.

"A key card, hunh? Well I suppose my Water Dragon is the best I've got then." Bastion stated as he placed his card on the slot next to Zane and Becca's. "Mine is a lady of darkness, just like me: Dark Enchantress Raven." Amy stated as she placed her card on top of Bastion's. "They say there's power in the sky. And none shows that better than my Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon." Adrian stated as he placed his card in the slot next to Bastion and Amy's. "Are you sure about that, Adrian? Because my card's got some sky power too: Queen of the Thunder." Echo added as she placed her card on top of Adrian's. "You know, this Pegasus guy might be on to something with this key card thing. After all, I really do like my Dokurorider." Lance stated as he placed his card in a slot all the way on the other side of the room. "I agree, the guy's not mean. That's why I'll place my Great Shogun Shien." Xime added as he placed the card on top of Lance's.

"Has everyone put their signature cards into the slots? Well then, activate the machine!" Pegasus commanded as the tubes on the machine sucked up all of the cards. On the TV screen, a giant roulette spun all the cards around. "And the first duel of round one is…" Pegasus began as the roulette stopped and four cards appeared on the screen. "Water Dragon and Dark Enchantress Raven versus Infernal Incinerator and Dark Magician!" Pegasus called out as the cards were deposited into the slots near the first room. "The second duel of round one is…" Pegasus began again as the roulette started spinning again. "Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning and Shining Arctic Queen versus Elemental Hero Electrum and Destiny Hero- Dogma!" Pegasus called out again as the cards were deposited in the slots by the second door.

After Pegasus had read off all of the duels in the first round and the brackets had been set, everyone retrieved their cards and stood around, waiting for further instruction. "Alright, now that all of the duels have been decided, we're all set for tomorrow! However, night is upon us, so you may all retire for the night. Your rooms are at the top of the stairway in the main foyer. Please see my ushers on the way out for your room numbers and such. Everyone have a good night and we'll meet here again in this room at 8:00 AM sharp!" Pegasus concluded the night as he walked off. All of the duelists in turn bid farewell to each other and headed off their own rooms for the night.

The next morning, all of the duelists met in the room with the machine. "Good morning, guys, did you all sleep well?" Amy greeted Adrian, Echo, Zane, Becca, James, and Kristiann, and of course her partner Bastion. "Oh, yea, we're all ready for today!" James replied happily and confidently. "Don't think it's going to be easy, these will be some of the toughest duels you'll ever face." Zane stated. "Yea we know, but together James and I can take down anyone!" Kristiann replied defiantly. "Good morning to all and allow me to officially welcome you to the International Tag Team Championship!" Pegasus greeted the contestants from atop a balcony.

"I think we've spent enough time with introductions, so this morning we're going to just start with straight dueling action! The brackets are posted on the TV screen above you. Please go to your assigned room immediately. And good luck!" Pegasus encouraged cheerfully. "Alright, I guess this is where we all part. Good luck everyone!" Echo said to everyone as she and Adrian walked off to their room. Everyone else shared similar sentiments as they walked off to their respective rooms. "Alright, here we are: round one." James pointed out as he opened a door. Kristiann entered the room, but the two cloaked men also followed them into the room. "Oh no, are those are first opponents?" Kristiann asked as she let them go ahead first. "I think so, but whoever they are, we'll take them on together." James smiled and gave a thumbs-up as he and Kristiann entered the room to begin the first round of the Championship.


	28. Chapter 28: Hero Worship

Chapter 28- Hero Worship

The room inside was large and expansive. In the center of the room and indeed in most of the room itself was an arena-like platform. The rest of the room was bare except for a large television screen on one of the walls. Standing at the far side of the dueling arena were the two cloaked men in green. "I guess it's official: they are indeed our dueling opponents." James stated the obvious as he and Kristiann walked onto the dueling arena, each one facing a cloaked man. "Attention duelists! Is everyone in their respective dueling arenas?" Kemo asked as his faced appeared on the TV screen. "Yes, alright then, let round one of the International Tag Team Championship begin!" Kemo shouted as his face disappeared from the screen.

"Alright then, I guess it's time to duel. You two ready?" Kristiann asked their mysterious opponents. Neither one of them said a word, but activated their duel disks in reply. "I'll take that as a yes. Let's go then!" Kristiann replied as she and James activated their duel disks. "Let's duel!" All four of them shouted at once as they drew their opening hands and both teams' life points were set to 8000. "Let the games begin." The cloaked man opposite of James chuckled as he drew a card. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode!" The mysterious man called out as his water hero emerged with 800 attack and 1200 defense. "Since Bubbleman is the only card on my field, I can draw two cards from summoning him." The cloaked man explained as he drew two cards. "Now I equip Bubbleman with my Bubble Blaster, giving him an extra 800 attack points." The cloaked man added as his hero got a new weapon and his attack points rose to 1600. "I set one card facedown and end my turn." The mysterious fellow concluded.

"That voice… I know him from somewhere. No, it can't be him." James thought to himself. "My move then!" James stated as he drew a card. "And I summon my old pal Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode!" James called out as his sword-wielding magician emerged with 1600 attack and 1000 defense. "And my monster has a special ability that activates when it's summoned too. When Breaker is summoned to the field, he gains one Spell Counter that I can remove at any time and destroy one of your spell or trap cards." James explained. "And I think I'll remove that counter right away to destroy your Bubble Blaster. Breaker, break his little water gun!" James called out as his monster unleashed a shock wave from its blade that struck the spell card and destroyed it, dropping Bubbleman's attack points back to their original 800.

"And now that your monster has been weakened, Breaker the Magical Warrior, attack Bubbleman!" James commanded as his spell caster ran flew forward and struck Bubbleman with its sword, destroying it and reducing the mysterious men's life points to 7200. "By destroying Bubbleman, you've let me activate my facedown trap card Hero Signal! Now I can summon another Elemental Hero from my deck that has four stars or less. So I'll call forth Elemental Hero Avian!" The first cloaked man called out as the spotlight signal shone on the ceiling and the winged warrior answered the call as he swooped in with 1000 attack and defense points. "That was pretty cool, I'll admit. Anyways, I'll play one card facedown and end my turn." James concluded.

"Then let us see what destiny has in store for us, mufufu." The second mysterious man chuckled as he drew a card. "As a tribute to the spiritual essence inside of all of us, I activate the spell card D – Spirit. Since I have no monsters on my side of the field, I can automatically summon a Destiny Hero right from my hand. And I choose to summon Destiny Hero- Captain Tenacious!" The second cloaked man called out in a powerful voice as his warrior of destiny emerged with 800 attack and defense. "That guy's voice sounds familiar too. But where…" Kristiann thought to herself. "But since that was merely a special summon, I can also normal summon Destiny Hero- Doom Lord to the field as well!" The man added as his caped warrior emerged with 600 attack and 800 defense. "And now for a special effect!" The mysterious man called out as Doom Lord jumped forward and grabbed Breaker the Magical Warrior in its claws. In a little more than an instant, Breaker disappeared with a blip and Doom Lord returned to its original side of the field. "What happened to my monster?!" James asked startled and confused. "Doom Lord's effect lets me send your monster two turns into the future. In other words, he's removed from the game until two turns from now." The cloaked man explained.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn." The cloaked man concluded. "Without attacking? But James was wide open." Kristiann questioned. "I can't declare any attacks the turn I activate Doom Lord's effect. But that's ok because attacks or not, everything will turn out the way it was meant to. That is the meaning of destiny." The second cloaked man explained. "Well that's good because that means we're going to win no doubt." Kristiann replied confidently. "And how are you so sure that you are meant to win this duel?" The cloaked man asked. "Because when James and I work together, there's nothing we can't do." Kristiann replied as James gave a nod. "That was actually mildly touching. I always thought you two were meant for each other." The cloaked man conceded. "Hunh? What do you mean 'always'?" Kristiann asked. "Shssh, you'll blow our cover!" The first cloaked man whispered to the second. "Never you mind! Just make your move!" The second cloaked man said defiantly.

"Well alright, whatever you say." Kristiann replied as she drew a card. "Hey check this out! I summon Ninja Penguin to the field in attack mode!" She called out as her stealthy arctic bird emerged with 1200 attack and 700 defense. "But when my Ninja Penguin is summoned to the field, I can summon a second one right from my hand." Kristiann added as another Ninja Penguin emerged with the same stats. "Alright, now Ninja Penguin number one, attack Captain Tenacious!" Kristiann commanded as her bird threw a shuriken star at the hero. "Hold on! I activate my trap card D – Shield! This switches my Hero into defense mode and also makes him unable to be destroyed in battle." The cloaked man countered as a force field emerged around his monster, rendering the attack useless. "Well, my turn's not over yet. Ninja Penguin number two, attack Doom Lord! At least he can be destroyed." Kristiann called as her second bird threw a star at Doom Lord, striking it in the chest and destroying it, reducing the mystery men's life points down to 6600.

"With that done, I lay one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Were you sure about my monster being destroyed?" The second cloaked man asked rhetorically as his Destiny Hero- Doom Lord reemerged. "But how?" Kristiann asked. "Because of Captain Tenacious' effect. When one of my Destiny Heroes is destroyed and he's on the field, that Hero returns at the end of the turn." The cloaked man explained. "Then how can we break through?" James asked also rhetorically. "You just can't!" The first cloaked man laughed as he drew a card. "Especially after I activate this spell card: Polymerization! This card lets me fuse together the Elemental Hero Avian on the field with the Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in my hand in order to create a new monster." The cloaked man explained as a vortex swirled the two monsters together. "Now arise, Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer!" The cloaked man exclaimed as his new warrior flew down with 2100 attack and 1200 defense.

"Now this monster will teach you and your monsters certain lessons. Like how to value your life and stuff, like in Saw." The cloaked man stated. "Shssh, now who's blowing our cover?!" The second cloak man whispered to the first. "Wait a minute… Saw, superheroes? This is getting too coincidental." James thought to himself. "Alright, enough of this hiding under a cloak stuff! Just who are you guys?!" Kristiann shouted at the men. "Well I guess the gig is up." The first cloaked man shrugged as he and his partner threw off their cloaks. "What?! No way, Father Jim?!" Kristiann exclaimed in shock as she identified the first man. "Yep, it's me. I guess it took you long enough." Father Jim replied. "And Father David?!" James added in equal shock as he identified the second man. "The one and only. Sorry we had to use the cloaks. It was just too much fun!" Father David laughed. "But I don't understand. How do you two know each other?" Kristiann asked. "Well I was up at a comic book convention in Philadelphia when I saw the ad for the preliminary rounds. So did Father David, so we teamed up." Fr. Jim explained. "Using the cloaks as a disguise was Father Jim's idea. He thought it would really shock you guys to duel us. Which it apparently did." Father David added.

"Yea, I'll say. So we have to duel you two right now? This is kind of a mind crush!" James exclaimed. "It was kind of ironic too for us to be pit against each other in the first round, but that happens. And don't think I'm going to go easy on you. 'Cause I'm bringing all I got! Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer, attack James's life points directly!" Fr. Jim commanded as his monster flew forward, claw extended. "Well I'm not going any easier either. I activate my trap card Dimensional Prison! Now the monster you're attacking with is removed from the game!" James countered. "Did you think it would be that easy to get rid of the enforcer? From my hand I play the quick play spell card Hero's Vocation! I can activate this when my opponent plays a trap when a Hero monster is attacking and it negates the trap. See James, you can't escape a vocation." Fr. Jim laughed as James's trap was negated and Phoenix Enforcer was back on target.

It nailed James with its talons, knocking his life points down to 6900. "See I told you this wasn't going to be easy." Fr. Jim stated as he concluded his turn. "In fact it may be even tougher dueling some of your old heroes, no pun intended." Fr. David added. "Yea, you're right about this. They're pretty tough." Kristiann pointed out. "True, but remember what you said before? We can overcome anything if we do it together." James responded. "Yep, you're absolutely right! So heroes or no heroes, priests or no priests, friends or no friends, we're still taking you down!" Kristiann replied adamantly. "Bring it!" Fr. Jim taunted.


	29. Chapter 29: For Whom the Bell Tolls

Chapter 29- For Whom the Bell Tolls

"I will, just look out!" James stated as he drew a card. "Since you guys have way more monsters than me, I can special summon The Fiend Megacyber directly from my hand!" James called as his mighty warrior emerged with 2200 attack and 1200 defense. "Don't forget, I can also summon another monster this turn too. So I'll also summon Queen's Knight!" James added as his female warrior emerged with 1500 attack and 1600 defense. "Now it's time to bring it on home. Fiend Megacyber, attack Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer!" James commanded as his warrior gave a battle call and punched the fusion monster right in the chest, reducing Fr. Jim's life points to 6500, but not destroying the monster. "Why wasn't your Phoenix Enforcer destroyed?" James questioned. "Because his special ability makes it so that he can't be destroyed in battle. Tough luck!" Fr. Jim explained mockingly.

"Well that's convenient. But don't forget I still have another monster to attack. Queen's Knight, attack Destiny Hero- Doom Lord!" James commanded as his second warrior slashed Doom Lord, destroying it and reducing their life points further to 5600. "I'll set one more card facedown and end my turn." James concluded. "Ha, don't you remember about Destiny Hero- Captain Tenacious' special ability? It keeps all my heroes safe and sound." Fr. David reminded as his Doom Lord returned to the field. "As you can see, the power of destiny cannot decrease, but it can increase, just watch." Fr. David stated as he drew a card. "In tribute to one of the primary tenants of our faith, I activate Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards if I then discard two." Fr. David explained.

"All of us feel restrained at some point or another. That may be because of time, or space, or even our own inner feelings and dark spiritual moments. But in this duel, right here, right now, I'm going to restrain all of us, and time is going to become your enemy." Fr. David spoke dramatically. "Time is already my enemy and probably always will be." James replied flatly. "Yes, symbolically perhaps. But I'm saying that literally here, we will all be trapped inside this field spell card. I activate Clock Tower Prison!" Fr. David called out as he slid the card into the field spell slot in his duel disk. At once, the field changed from the room in Pegasus's castle to the courtyard of a rectangular building. High above where the two Fathers were standing, was a clock tower, both hands still at twelve o'clock. "Hey, what's this all about?" Kristiann asked confused about their new surroundings.

"You'll find out soon enough. But in the meantime, I'll give you my Destiny Hero- Diamond Dude to contend with!" Fr. David called as his high-value warrior emerged with 1400 attack and 1600 defense. "And like everyone in the world, my monster has its own special talent and ability. Once per turn, I can reveal the top card of my deck, and if it's a normal spell card, I must send it to my graveyard and activate it next turn. And I believe I'll use that ability now." Fr. David explained as he flipped over the top card of his deck. "And what do you know; it happens to be my Misfortune spell. That goes to show you that bad things are indeed destined to happen, but it is all for a reason." Fr. David explained as he sent the spell to his graveyard.

"And speaking of misfortune, this attack will probably be yours. Destiny Hero- Diamond Dude, attack one of Kristiann's Ninja Penguins!" Fr. David commanded as his warrior dashed forward, fist extended. The shady arctic bird screeched for a moment as it took the blow, destroying it and reducing Kristiann's life points to 6700. "Now I shall set one more card facedown and end my turn." Fr. David concluded. "Alright, my turn then!" Kristiann called as she drew a card. "And I'll make sure that my other Ninja Penguin doesn't meet the same fate as my first by sacrificing him in order to summon one of my favorite monsters, Vampire Lord in attack mode!" Kristiann called as her penguin was swapped out for her vampire master with 2000 attack and 1500 defense. "Then I activate the spell card Gold Sarcophagus! With this card, I can remove one card from my deck from play and send it into the future as well. Then later, I'll get it back. Looks like time is on my side!" Kristiann boasted. "You think that now, but destiny always has surprises for us." Fr. David replied ominously. "That might be true, but this is no surprise. Vampire Lord, attack Destiny Hero- Doom Lord!" Kristiann commanded as her monster unleashed a wave of dark energy at the caped warrior, destroying it and reducing the Fathers' life points to 5500.

"But forget that Vampire Lord has a special ability: when he deals damage to your life points, you have to discard one card from your deck of any kind that I choose. And I'm telling you to discard a trap card." Kristiann explained as Father David discarded a trap card from his deck. "I'll set one more card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Well don't you forget that my monster has a special ability as well. Since Doom Lord was destroyed this turn, Captain Tenacious can just bring him right back." Father David reminded as his Destiny Hero returned to the field.

"Whatever, you guys have nothing on me." Father Jim stated as he drew a card. "I know it's a deadly sin, but my Pot of Greed card has no negative consequences. Now I can just draw two cards." Fr. Jim explained as he played the card and drew two more. "Next, I activate the spell card Fusion Sage! This lets me search through my deck and get a certain spell card by the name of Polymerization." Fr. Jim explained as he began looking through his deck. "But you already used Polymerization to summon Phoenix Enforcer." James pointed out. "Yea, and? You think I wouldn't have two Polymerization cards in my deck?" Fr. Jim asked sarcastically as he found the card and added it to his hand.

"And just in case you didn't already see this coming, I'll activate my Polymerization card right away to fuse Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental Hero Clayman, both in my hand, in order to summon Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!" Fr. Jim called as his new electrical fusion warrior emerged with 2400 attack and 1500 defense. "Oh no, now you have two powerful fusion monsters!" James exclaimed. "You think that's bad? Then I think I'll throw a little something else your way. I also summon Elemental Hero Wildheart, just to add insult to injury." Fr. Jim added as his jungle-clad warrior emerged with 1500 attack and 1600 defense. "Oh and I almost forgot one thing: my Thunder Giant's special ability. The turn that I summon him to the field, I can automatically destroy one of your monsters that has lower attack points than it. Send a bolt of lightning on your Vampire Lord, ha!" Fr. Jim laughed as his giant threw a thunderbolt at Kristiann's Vampire Lord, destroying it in a flurry of electricity.

"Now with that all out of the way, heroes assemble! Elemental Hero Thunder Giant, attack The Fiend Megacyber!" Fr. Jim commanded as his electrical hero threw another burst of lightning at James's monster, destroying it and reducing James and Kristiann's life points to 6500. "Now Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer, attack Queen's Knight!" Fr. Jim added as his winged hero slashed apart James's warrior, reducing their life points further to 5900. "Ha, now you're life points are wide open for a direct attack. Elemental Hero Wildheart, attack Kristiann directly!" Fr. Jim laughed as his jungle hero ran towards the girl, machete raised. "I was almost hoping you would do that! I activate…" Kristiann began but was cut off. "A trap? Don't bother! When Wildheart attacks, all of your traps are rendered useless." Fr. Jim countered as his warrior's attack hit and brought Kristiann's life points down to 4400. "I think that's enough for the moment. I end my turn." Fr. Jim concluded.

"Alright, then I'm taking back this duel!" James stated dramatically as he drew a card. Suddenly, Breaker the Magical Warrior appeared from a dimensional blip. "Hmph, since it's been two turns, your Magical Warrior returns, not that that will do you much." Fr. David explained. "On contraire, Breaker will make the perfect sacrifice so that I can bring out Luminous Soldier in attack mode!" James called as his dark warrior disappeared and a flash of light heralded James's new warrior with 2100 attack and 1400 defense. "Now it's time for you to see the light! Luminous Soldier, attack Destiny Hero- Doom Lord!" James commanded as his warrior of light readied its sword for battle. "We are all eternal! Why do you keep trying to attack my Destiny Heroes?" Fr. David asked as James's warrior charged. "Well for one, your monster can keep coming back, but you still take life points damage. And secondly, because of Luminous Soldier's special ability: when he attacks a dark monster, he gains 500 attack points only for the battle." James explained as his monster's attack points temporarily rose to 2600. By that time, it had reached Doom Lord, and slashed it right across, destroying it and reducing Fr. David's life points to 3500.

"I'll rock one more facedown card and end my turn." James concluded as Destiny Hero- Doom Lord returned to the field. "Then I believe it is time." Fr. David stated ominously as he drew a card. "Time for what?" Kristiann asked. In response, the huge clock tower above Fr. David rang its bells and the hands moved to 12:15. "It's time for my Clock Tower Prison to gong! At the beginning of every one of my turns, it activates, giving it one clock counter and moving the hands fifteen minutes forward." Fr. David explained as the bells stopped. "And what exactly does that mean?" Kristiann asked. "Only time will tell that answer. But the present is a time of great misfortune for you. After all, last turn my Diamond Dude sent my Misfortune spell to the graveyard, but now I shall activate it! Now you take damage straight to your life points equal to half the attack points of one of your monsters. As you can see, there are reparations for even seeing the light. Now you lose half the attack points of James's Luminous Soldier!" Fr. David explained as a blast of magic shot from Fr. David's duel disk, shot straight through Luminous Soldier, and struck James, reducing his life points down to 3350.

"That wasn't a bad move." James commented. "I am merely the dummy, the dummy to the divine master. Hey, that's a good segway for me to summon my next hero of destiny: Destiny Hero- Dread Servant!" Fr. David called as his warrior emerged with 400 attack and 700 defense. "When Destiny Hero- Dread Servant is summoned to the field, my Clock Tower Prison also gains another clock counter. Just one of the eternal rewards of being a good servant." Fr. David explained as his clock struck again and the hands moved forward another fifteen minutes. "But destiny has many things in store for all of us, and my turn is far from finished. I activate my facedown card Eternal Dread! This card signifies the never ending influence of destiny and puts two more clock counters on my Prison for a grand total of four. Time flies when you're having fun I suppose." Fr. David explained as the hands moved forward, setting the clock a full hour ahead of its original position as the bells sounded once again.

"For whom do the bells toll? They toll for you, James and Kristiann! And now that the hour is upon us, I switch Destiny Hero- Captain Tenacious into attack mode and prepare for the holy war. Destiny Hero- Dread Servant, lead the assault; attack Kristiann's life points directly!" Fr. David commanded as his warrior readied its spear and threw it directly at Kristiann. "Destiny may be powerful, but you forget, James and I have it on our side too. I activate my trap card Arctic Angel's Glory! Since you just declared an attack and you happen to have all dark monsters, all of your monsters are now destroyed!" Kristiann countered happily as a barrier of light ice energy surrounded her. The spear from Fr. David's attack hit the barrier and was transformed into light energy which shot out at all of his monster's destroying them. "What are you going to do now without any monsters?" Kristiann asked tauntingly.

"Destiny always has a plan for us, even when things don't go exactly according to our plan. However, I can not honestly say this wasn't part of my plan." Fr. David smiled. "What do you mean?" Kristiann asked confused. "When Destiny Hero- Dread Servant is sent to the graveyard I can destroy one spell or trap card on my side of the field. And I'll use it to defy time and bring down my Clock Tower Prison!" Fr. David exclaimed as the large structure began to crumble. "But why would you destroy your own field spell card?" James asked as the clock tower began to collapse. "Because if I had at least four clock counters on it, which I did, destiny will allow me to summon one of the strongest monsters in my entire deck and the agent of your undoing: Destiny Hero- Dreadmaster!" Fr. David called dramatically as the tower completely collapsed and the mighty warrior arose from the rubble with 0 attack and defense.

"For such an impressive monster, it doesn't have any attack or defense points. But I'll bet there's a special ability instead." James pointed out. "And you are correct. When Dreadmaster is summoned through the effect of Clock Tower Prison, I can also summon two other Destiny Heroes from my graveyard, namely Destiny Hero- Diamond Dude and Destiny Hero- Dasher, which you will remember I discarded through Graceful Charity's effect a few rounds back." Fr. David explained as his Diamond Dude returned with 1400 attack and 1600 defense, and Dasher with 2100 attack and 1000 defense. "And what's more, Dreadmaster's attack points become the total attack points of all Destiny Heroes on my side of the field. That's a grand total of 3500 attack points!" Fr. David explained.

"And now that the master has arrived, I, the dummy shall lead them into battle. Destiny Hero- Dreadmaster, attack Kristiann directly!" Fr. David commanded as his warrior let out a battle cry. "Now hold on a minute, because you didn't give me a chance to activate the second effect of my trap card. I can also special summon from my deck Arctic Angel herself in attack mode!" Kristiann called as her ice fairy emerged with 2000 attack and 1900 defense. "I have great respect for the angels, but that one can't save you from the forces of destiny!" Fr. David countered as his monster continued its attack, destroying Kristiann's angel. "Wait a minute! Why didn't you lose any life points?" Fr. Jim questioned. "Because during a battle with my Arctic Angel, I don't take any life point damage. Also, I can't take any more battle damage for the rest of this turn." Kristiann explained.

"Then there's no point in attacking, but I can activate the special ability of Destiny Hero- Diamond Dude and send the top card of my deck to the graveyard and use it next turn, assuming it's a normal spell card of course." Fr. David explained as he glanced at the card and discarded it. "Which it is, so now I end my turn. But be warned, the end of this duel is right around the corner and destiny has already predicted the outcome. And believe me, I believe the winners shall be us!" Fr. David laughed as he concluded his turn.


	30. Chapter 30: The Dogma of Destiny

Chapter 30- The Dogma of Destiny

"That was an impressive move, but I have something up my sleeve too." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "First off, since you destroyed Vampire Lord last turn by a card's effect, he returns back to the field, perfectly unharmed." Kristiann explained as her master vampire emerged with 2000 attack and 1500 defense. "But even cooler than that is the fact that this turn, my Gold Sarcophagus arrives with the card I put in it." Kristiann added as the golden chest appeared right in front of her. She reached inside and pulled the card out and gave a huge grin as she held the card and the chest disappeared. "And what's so great about that card?" Fr. Jim asked skeptically. "You can see for yourself! Let's give a warm, or rather a chilly, welcome to my newest monster: Arctic Princess!" Kristiann exclaimed as she played the card and her beautiful icy girl emerged with 1800 attack and 500 defense.

"Well she's not that impressive." Fr. Jim remarked. "Maybe not, but she's got a special ability: whenever she's summoned to the field, I can add one equip spell from my deck right to my hand." Kristiann explained as she took the card and reshuffled. "And I think I'll activate it right away. My princess already has all the jewels she could ever want, but Vampire Lord seems a little left out. So I'll give him the equip spell Black Pendant, which raises his attack points by 500." Kristiann explained as her vampire wore the necklace and its attack points rose to 2500. "Now that that's all settled, Arctic Princess, attack Elemental Hero Wildheart!" Kristiann commanded as her princess unleashed a burst of ice energy from her scepter, striking Wildheart, destroying it and reducing the Fathers' life points to 3200. "And don't think I'll leave my other monster out of the action. Vampire Lord, attack Thunder Giant!" Kristiann added as her vampire flew forward and destroyed the warrior with a wave of magic, reducing the Fathers' life points further to 3100.

"Vampire Lord's ability also forces you to discard a type of card from your deck of my choosing. And I choose for you to discard a trap card." Kristiann explained. "Fine then, I'll send my Mirror Gate trap to the graveyard then. I won't need it soon anyways." Fr. Jim grinned as he discarded the card and reshuffled his deck. "I'm not sure what that means, but whatever you have, I'm ready for it. I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Then it's my turn again." Fr. Jim stated as he drew a card.

"Ha it's time to show you that miracles do happen! Get ready, because I activate the spell card Miracle Fusion! This card lets me fuse together monsters, not just from my hand or field, but also monsters in my graveyard." Fr. Jim explained. "So I fuse together Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Burstinatrix, Elemental Hero Bubbleman, and Elemental Hero Clayman, all in my graveyard, in order to summon my strongest hero monster: Elemental Hero Electrum!" Fr. Jim exclaimed happily as his shining warrior emerged with 2900 attack and 2600 defense. "Impressive, hunh? Well then ain't seen nothing yet! Electrum's ability makes him not only a light attribute monster, but also a fire, wind, water, and earth monster." Fr. Jim explained.

"And just what does that do for you?" James asked. "Not much, until you count the fact that he gains 300 attack points for every monster of the same attribute on the field as him. And since that's pretty much everything expect dark, that's quite a power boost!" Fr. Jim laughed as his hero's attack points rose to 3800. "Now, Elemental Hero Electrum show off all that power and attack James's Luminous Soldier!" Fr. Jim commanded as his hero's fist started glowing and he impacted it against James's warrior, destroying it and reducing his life points down to 1700, but reducing Electrum's attack points down to 3500 now that one less light monster was on the field. "It's all over! Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer, attack James's life points directly and end this duel!" Fr. Jim added joyfully as his winged monster flew forward, talons raised. "Oh, no we'll lose the duel!" James panicked. "Don't worry James, I got your back! I activate my trap card Gift of the Mystical Elf! This card increases our life points by 300 for every monster on the field. If you do the math, that's…" Kristiann trailed off. "A lot of life points!" James exclaimed joyfully as he was surrounded by a glowing energy and his and Kristiann's life points rose to 4100. "It doesn't matter how many life points you get back, I'll just knock them back down!" Fr. Jim promised as Phoenix Enforcer completed its attack on James, knocking down his life points to 2000.

"Thanks baby, I owe you one." James said in gratitude as he recovered from the blow. "No problem, James, anytime." Kristiann replied with a smile. "Well this is incredibly touching, but can we get back to the duel?" Fr. Jim asked sarcastically. "Yea, it's your move." James affirmed. "Of course, I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Fr. Jim concluded. "Then it's time to take the second chance you gave me." James stated as he nodded at Kristiann and drew a card. "I activate Monster Reborn! This lets me bring back one fallen monster from the graveyard. So come on back, Luminous Soldier!" James called as his warrior of light returned to the field with 2100 attack and 1400 defense. "Don't forget that with him back, my Elemental Hero Electrum gains those 300 attack points back." Fr. Jim reminded as his warrior's attack points returned to 3800. "Yea I know. That's why I'm busting out a new monster that doesn't make your monster stronger. I summon Winged Shadow Knight in attack mode!" James called as his dark flying warrior emerged with 1800 attack and 1700 defense.

"And now it's time to take you out! Luminous Soldier, attack Destiny Hero- Dasher!" James commanded as his warrior ran forward, sword held high. "But wait, our monsters have the same amount of attack points!" Fr. David pointed out. "That's true, but you've obviously forgotten about Luminous Soldier's special ability: when it attacks a dark monster, it gains 500 attack points just for the battle, making it stronger than yours." James explained as his monster's attack points temporarily rose to 2600 and it slashed Dasher with its light blade, destroying it and reducing the Fathers' life points to 2600. "And with one of your Destiny Heroes gone, Dreadmaster loses attack points." James added as Fr. David's warrior's attack points dropped to 1400.

"And that makes him right for the picking. Winged Shadow Knight, attack Destiny Hero- Dreadmaster!" James called as his warrior took flight. "That's enough! Your attack ends here! I activate my trap card D- Chain and give it to Dreadmaster, which increases his attack points by 500 making it stronger than your shadow knight." Fr. David countered as his hero was equipped with the menacing chain weapon, raising its attack points to 1900. After spinning the chain around a few times, Dreadmaster launched it at the incoming Shadow Knight, striking it midair and destroying it, reducing James's life points to 1900. "But not only is your monster destroyed and your attack foiled, but due to the second effect of D- Chain, whenever the equipped monster destroys a monster, you lose 500 life points." Fr. David added as Dreadmaster spun the chain around again and launched it at James, striking him and reducing his life points down to 1400.

"Not bad, but don't think Winged Shadow Knight didn't have a special ability either. When he's destroyed in battle, the monster that destroyed it is also sent to the graveyard. In the biz, that's what we call payback." James grinned as Dreadmaster and its chain were destroyed. "No, not Dreadmaster! But destiny always has a plan for us, so don't think it ends here." Fr. David snapped. "Oh I don't, at least not yet. I end my turn with one last spell card called Sidequesting. By destroying one of your facedown cards, I can increase our life points by 1000. So say goodbye to one of those facedowns, Fr. Jim." James explained as one of his cards shattered and James's life points rose to 2400. "That's all for now." James concluded his turn.

"Then allow destiny to fulfill its role for me." Fr. David offered as he drew a card. "Since I just drew a monster card, I'll activate the special ability of Destiny Hero- Dasher." Fr. David stated. "But Dasher was destroyed last turn." Kristiann pointed out. "Exactly. When Dasher is in the graveyard and I draw a monster, I can automatically summon it to the field. Granted I can only use it once per duel, but it's worth it to special summon Destiny Hero- Fear Monger!" Fr. David called as his armored hero emerged with 1000 attack and defense. "But let's not also forget that last turn I sent a spell card to the graveyard due to Diamond Dude's effect, and now it's time to activate that card. From the grave I call upon the divine origins of our world in the spell card Terraforming! This lets me add a field spell from my deck straight to my hand. And I choose the place where too often we all live and play." Fr. David explained as he searched his deck and reshuffled. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" Kristiann asked. "I'll show you. St. Augustine once gave the analogy of a city of God and a city of Man, and here one of those will appear right in front of you. Or perhaps both. But whatever your point of view, I activate the field spell Dark City!" Fr. David called as tall buildings and a moonlit sky appeared all around them.

"I'll explain the new scenery later, but now it's time for you to feel the full force of destiny. After all, no one can escape its omniscient grasp. All living beings march to the tune of their own destiny and follow it, whether they know it or not. And it is in that spirit that I activate the spell card Over Destiny!" Fr. David called out. "Even though Dreadmaster has fallen, from his ashes I can call forth a weaker hero, but something great nonetheless: Destiny Hero- Blade Master!" Fr. David explained as his armed hero emerged with 300 attack and 600 defense. "Father, this entire duel you've been talking about destiny and everything, but there's something I still don't completely understand." Kristiann stated. "And what's that?" Fr. David asked kindly.

"Well you keep saying that destiny controls everything and stuff, but isn't it God's will that controls everything?" Kristiann asked the priest. "My child, destiny is God's will. By definition, destiny is the predetermining of events in the world, but who is the one who determines those events? Why, it's God of course. So when I say destiny has already decided the outcome of this duel, it is really just the same as saying that God has determined the outcome of this duel. And when I say that destiny always has a plan for our lives, it's really just the same as saying that God has a plan for our lives." Fr. David explained. "Well that makes sense, thank you." Kristiann replied. "Not a problem. In fact, now that I've explained my beliefs about destiny and God, I can summon the embodiment of those beliefs and the strongest monster my deck can produce." Fr. David added ominously.

"I sacrifice Destiny Hero- Blade Master, Destiny Hero- Fear Monger, and Destiny Hero- Diamond Dude in order to call forth the master of my deck: Destiny Hero- Dogma!" Fr. David exclaimed as his three monsters were sacrificed and the new monster took flight with a massive blade, 3400 attack, and 2400 defense. "Just as the authority of the Church's dogmas is absolute, the power of my strongest hero is also absolute and unstoppable. Destiny Hero- Dogma, attack Arctic Princess!" Fr. David called as his mighty warrior unleashed a blast of shadowy energy at the ice girl, destroying her and reducing Kristiann's life points to 800. "That was pretty tough, but don't think I'm going down that easily. When Arctic Princess is destroyed, her special ability lets me automatically call out the true monarch of the ice world and one of my strongest monsters: Shining Arctic Queen!" Kristiann called as frost swirled around and the monster of her likeness emerged with 2800 attack and 1500 defense. "She may be pretty, but it takes more than appearances to defeat Dogma. I end my turn." Fr. David concluded with a faint smile.

"Then it's my move!" Kristiann exclaimed as she drew a card. Suddenly, a burst of dark energy erupted from the ground around Kristiann. "Baby! What's going on?" James asked panicky. "That's simply the special effect of Destiny Hero- Dogma. The turn after he's summoned my opponents' loses half of their life points." Fr. David explained as James and Kristiann's life points were cut to 400. "Are you ok?" James asked concerned. "Yep, I'm fine. In fact I think I'm better than fine." Kristiann smiled as she recovered from the blast. "Oh, and why is that?" Fr. Jim asked. "Because I just drew exactly the card I need to win this duel here and now. I activate Gift of the Martyr! By sacrificing my Vampire Lord, I can increase the attack points of Shining Arctic Queen by the same amount of his attack points." Kristiann explained as Vampire Lord's strength was absorbed and it disappeared, raising Shining Arctic Queen's attack points to 4800.

"But that means that your queen is now stronger than my Dogma!" Fr. David pointed out. "Exactly. Shining Arctic Queen, attack Destiny Hero- Dogma!" Kristiann commanded as her queen raised her scepter to strike. "Not so fast! Before you attack, I activate my trap card Spiritual Hero Swap! Now before your attack hits, the attack points of my Elemental Hero Electrum and Fr. David's Destiny Hero- Dogma are switched." Fr. Jim countered as Electrum's new attack point total became 3400 and Dogma's became 3800. "But what does that do? Shining Arctic Queen is still more powerful." Kristiann pointed out. "Ah yes, but you forget one thing: the effects of my Dark City field spell! When a Destiny Hero battles with a monster with more attack points, it automatically gains 1000 attack points for the battle phase only." Fr. David explained as Dogma's attack points were temporarily raised to 4800.

"But that means our monsters have equal attack points!" Kristiann exclaimed as her queen charged Dogma, scepter raised and glowing with power. To counter, Dogma also charged with its blade poised to attack. The two monsters collided in midair, causing the powers between them to react. "Exactly. Now only destiny knows which one of us will be victorious." Fr. David replied ominously as the power between the two monsters grew too much and a big explosion ensued from the site where they met, consuming the battlefield with smoke and uncertainty.


	31. Chapter 31: Round Two

Chapter 31- Round Two

"Now who has destiny chosen?" Fr. David asked no one in particular as the smoke surrounding the battle cleared away. After all of the smoke had cleared away, Shining Arctic Queen still stood on Kristiann's side of the field, however Destiny Hero- Dogma was no more. "What?! But how did she survive?!" Fr. David exclaimed shocked. "To be honest, she didn't. When Shining Arctic Queen and Destiny Hero- Dogma attacked each other, they were both destroyed. However I had this trap card waiting just in case something like this happened." Kristiann explained as she drew attention to the face up trap card on her side of the field. "Right after both of our monsters were destroyed, I activated Call of the Haunted, which lets me special summon one monster from my graveyard. Namely, Shining Arctic Queen." Kristiann explained with a grin.

"Oh no, but that means that…" Fr. David trailed off. "You're wide open for a direct attack. Shining Arctic Queen, attack Father David's life points directly and end this duel!" Kristiann commanded as her spell caster queen shot a blast of ice and light energy from her scepter, striking Fr. David and reducing the Fathers' life points down to a final 0. "Who's on destiny's side now?" Kristiann remarked as all the holograms faded. "Well perhaps I was wrong. I suppose destiny is on your side after all." Fr. David conceded. "Whoa yea, it is! See, I told you Kristiann and I could take down anyone if we worked together." James stated happily. "Yea, yea, but don't get too cocky now. This is only the first round remember. You two still have a long way to go." Fr. Jim reminded them. "But that was a good duel. You two aren't bad after all." Fr. Jim added with a laugh.

Just then, the large TV screen in the room flickered on and the face of Maximilian Pegasus appeared on it. "I must say congratulations on your victory in round one!" Pegasus greeted them with a wide smile. "James and Kristiann, you two are improving greatly and I look forward to seeing you compete in the next round. I will now unlock the door on the far side of the room. Please go through it whenever you're ready and we can begin the next round." Pegasus explained, drawing attention to the now unlocked door. "As for the team of Father Jim and Father David, I would like to thank you for participating in our tournament, but unfortunately, you did not make it to the next round. But that doesn't mean you aren't great duelists. Keep it up and I hope to see you excel in future tournaments. Please, whenever you're ready you may return through the doors from which you entered this room." Pegasus added, drawing attention to the previous set of doors. "That's about everything I have to say then. So have a great day and I'll see two of you very soon." Pegasus concluded as the television flickered off once again.

"Well I guess this is where we go our separate ways then." Fr. Jim stated to James and Kristiann. "Yea, I guess so. Good duel, Fathers and I guess we'll see back at St. Michael's." Kristiann said to Father Jim. "Yea, I guess so. Good luck in the next round, and remember James, in baptism…" Father Jim trailed off, leaving James to finish. "He called us by name." James completed the line with a laugh at the inside joke. "Exactly. Well see you two later." Fr. Jim finalized as he walked off. "Yes, good luck, my children in the next round." Fr. David shared the sentiment. "Thank you, Father. And Father, I just want to tell you that that was an awesome duel and you're still a hero to me." James told him. "Save it. I'm merely the dummy. And there is only one Master. However you two are masters of dueling and I know you will excel in future rounds. Good luck and I hope to see you sometime soon." Fr. David also finalized as he walked out of the room.

"Well that settles that. Good dueling, baby!" James complimented as he embraced his partner. "Thanks, you too." Kristiann replied as she returned the embrace. "Alright, you ready for round two?" James asked excitedly. "Yea, let's go! But first, just one thing…" Kristiann replied as she leaned in and gave James an affectionate kiss. "Alright, now we can go." Kristiann replied happily. "Alright, then, let's go!" James exclaimed as he and his partner walked over to the door to the next room. When they reached the door, James opened it and help it open, letting his lady pass through first. The next room looked almost exactly the same as the first, however the walls were a different color. There was still a large TV screen on one wall and a dueling arena platform took up most of the vacant room. There was a single door on the opposite side of the room, but there were two doors on the side they entered, the one they came through and another.

"Looks like we made it here first." James stated the obvious as he looked around and didn't see anyone else in the room, save Kristiann and himself. But before Kristiann could reply however, the second door on the entrance wall creaked open. "Well hello chaps, good to see you made it this far!" Bastion greeted as he and Amy Lee walked into the room. "Well it's good to see you guys too." James replied with a wave. "So I guess we'll be dueling each other this round, hunh?" Amy asked. "Yep, and believe me, I'm looking forward to it." Kristiann replied determined. "Attention duelists! All of the competitors are now in their respective rooms!" Kemo the announcer shouted as his face appeared on the television screen. "You may start once both teams are ready. Begin round two!" Kemo shouted again as his face disappeared from the screen.

"Well I guess that's a good sign for us to get started." Bastion stated as he and Amy walked up to James and Kristiann to stand at the closer end of the dueling platform. "We're ready whenever you guys are." James responded as he and Kristiann activated their duel disks. "Alright, let's get it started. Then you two will be everybody's fools." Amy smiled as she and Bastion activated their duel disks. "We'll see about that." Kristiann replied determinedly. All four duelists drew their opening hands and both teams' life points were set to 8000. "Let's duel!" James, Kristiann, Bastion, and Amy all shouted in unison as the second round of the International Tag Team Championship began.


	32. Chapter 32: The Science of Light and D

Chapter 32- The Science of Light and Darkness

"I think I'll be the one to start off this duel this time." James stated as he drew a card. "And I'll do so by summoning my Marauding Captain in attack mode!" James called as his battle-worn warrior emerged with 1200 attack and 400 defense. "But that's not all! Due to Marauding Captain's special ability, I can summon another monster this turn. So to boost my attack force I'll also summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!" James called as his metal warrior also emerged with 1800 attack and 1600 defense. "I'll set one other card facedown and end my turn." James concluded.

"Then I believe it is my turn." Bastion stated as he drew a card. "And I'll summon my Hydrogeddon in attack mode!" Bastion called as his watery dinosaur emerged with 1600 attack and 1000 defense. "That monster is kind of cool, it's like all water." James pointed out. "Why, thank you, it is pretty cool. But just wait until you see it attack! Hydrogeddon, attack Marauding Captain!" Bastion commanded as his monster shot a high-pressure stream of water at James's warrior, destroying it and reducing James and Kristiann's life points to 7600. "But here's another cool thing about my monster: when it destroys another monster in battle, I can automatically special summon a second Hydrogeddon right from my deck." Bastion explained as a second water monster emerged with the same 1600 attack and 1000 defense.

"But there's no point in making him attack, so I'll simply end my turn with a facedown." Bastion concluded. "You want to see cool? I'll do better than that!" Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "I summon my Maiden of the Light in attack mode!" Kristiann called as her beautiful lady emerged with 1800 attack and 1200 defense. "Hmm, that's a pretty cute monster." Bastion said quietly to himself. "What was that?" Kristiann asked. "Oh nothing, nothing at all!" Bastion said defensively. "Alright, well anyways, Maiden of the Light, attack Hydrogeddon!" Kristiann commanded as her maiden threw an orb of light energy at Bastion's water dinosaur, destroying it and reducing his life points to 7800.

"And with that, I'll lay my own two cards facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Then allow me to bring this duel to life." Amy Lee stated as she drew a card. "Believe it or not, I've heard a bit about you, Kristiann." Amy told the girl. "Really?" Kristiann answered a little confused. "Pegasus talked to us for a bit before we all entered the castle…" Amy began her flashback.

"Well if isn't the famous Amy Lee! You're here early." Maximilian Pegasus greeted the dark lady as she stood with Bastion outside of the castle right before they all entered. "Yes, Bastion and I won our duel pretty quickly." Amy replied. "Well aren't you two an awesome tag team." Pegasus complimented. "Well we don't want to brag, but we're not quite a bad team." Bastion boasted. "Indeed, but I think you'll meet your matches in this tournament. After all there are some really awesome teams here." Pegasus told them. "Would could be better than us, haha?" Bastion chuckled confidently. "Well for one there's this one upstart team seemingly from nowhere. I personally think they're going to take this tournament by storm." Pegasus revealed. "And just who is this wonder team?" Amy asked. "James and Kristiann from Tampa. I witnessed their duel at the preliminaries and I was quite impressed." Pegasus revealed, ending the flashback.

"He said that you were a remarkable duelist, but also that you had an immense power of light in your deck." Amy explained back in the present. "He's right you know! Kristiann has the most light out of anyone I know." James butted in with a grin. "Well then, I'm honored to duel you here. After all, if your deck is based on light, then its fitting that it faces off against mine: a deck of shadow!" Amy smiled. "Then I guess we'll see who wins out then." Kristiann replied with determination.

"We will indeed. And it begins here with the summoning of my Shadow Maiden in attack mode!" Amy called out as her dark lady emerged with 1600 attack and 1200 defense. "Well it looks like I'm starting off good because my monster has more attack points than yours." Kristiann pointed out. "It may look that way now, but you haven't seen my Shadow Maiden's special ability yet. If the only monsters I have on my side of the field are dark monsters, then she gains 400 attack points, making her stronger than your monster now." Amy explained as her lady's attack points rose to 2000. "Now, Shadow Maiden, attack Kristiann's Maiden of the Light and prove who's best!" Amy called out as her lady gathered an orb of shadow energy and lobbed it at Kristiann's monster. "You obviously don't know about my monster's special ability! When a dark monster attacks my Maiden of the Light, it loses 200 attack points for every light monster on my side of the field." Kristiann explained as Shadow Maiden's attack points dropped to 1800.

"But that means that our monsters have the same amount of attack points!" Amy exclaimed, but the attack was too late to stop and both of the monsters ended up destroying each other. "Well that solved a lot. I guess for the time being at least we're equally matched." Amy sighed. "I beg to differ! Amy is much better than you two could ever be!" Bastion exclaimed. "I don't think so! Kristiann is way better than Amy or anyone else for that matter!" James countered. "But Amy is, how she would put it, perfect by nature!" Bastion snapped back. "Well Kristiann is even more perfect!" James also snapped. "Well we'll just see about that!" Bastion shouted back. "Bastion, calm down. It's still my turn remember." Amy remarked. "Oh well, yes, sorry Amy." Bastion apologized meekly. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Amy concluded with a sigh.

"Then it's my turn again." James stated as he drew a card. "And I'll summon Neo the Magic Swordsman in attack mode!" James called out as his warrior of light emerged with 1700 attack and 1000 defense. "Maybe Neo can drive my point home. Neo, attack Hydrogeddon with magic blade slash!" James commanded as his monster struck Bastion's, destroying it and reducing his life points to 7700. "Now do you think Kristiann and I are unstoppable?" James asked with a smirk as he concluded his turn. "Not a chance, James. And do you know why? Not only do I have Amy Lee on my side, but I also have the power of science! Observe."" Bastion replied as he drew a card.

"I activate the spell card Prehistoric Chemistry! I'm sure your familiar with at least basic chemistry, but instead of chemicals, we're using monster cards. By sending one dinosaur, reptile, or dragon monster from my hand and shuffling it into my deck, I can special summon two level 4 or below dinosaur monsters right from my deck." Bastion explained. "So I'll put my Element Dragon back into my test pool and special summon both Oxygeddon and Carboneddon in attack mode!" Bastion called as his wind-like pterodactyl emerged with 1800 attack and 800 defense and his black armored dinosaur emerged with 900 attack and 600 defense.

"Now, Oxygeddon, attack Neo the Magic Swordsman!" Bastion commanded as his monster shot a blast of wind at James's knight, destroying it and reducing his life points to 7500. "And secondly, Carboneddon, attack James directly!" Bastion added as his second dinosaur unloaded its claws on James, reducing his life points further to 6600. "Hmph, you still believe that your team is the best? Or have I blinded you with science enough?" Bastion asked boastfully. "Not a chance, Bastion this duel is far from over." James replied with determination as he recovered from the blow. "We will see, my dear fellow, we will see. I set one other card facedown and end my turn." Bastion replied as his turn came to an end.


	33. Chapter 33: Phoenix Rose

Chapter 33- Phoenix Rose

"Blind us with science? Well instead I'll blind you with light!" Kristiann stated dramatically as she drew a card. "And here's a good monster to do so. I summon Shining Angel in attack mode!" Kristiann called as her angel of light emerged with 1400 attack and 800 defense. "And last I checked, Amy, you don't have any monsters on your side of the field. So Shining Angel, attack her life points directly!" Kristiann commanded as her fairy unleashed a beam of light energy directly at Amy.

"I'll bet you thought you had the upper hand there for a minute, but I have this trap card: A Rival Appears!" Amy countered as she activated her facedown card. "With this card I can match your light by summoning one monster of equal levels from my hand. Since your Shining Angel has four stars, I can summon my own level four monster to counter it. And of course I'll summon a real rival for you in my Night Sorceress in attack mode!" Amy called as her dark female magician emerged with 1700 attack and 1600 defense. "But before we go any further, I'll use Night Sorceress's special ability, which lets me add one dark monster directly to my hand." Amy explained as she added the card and reshuffled.

"Not that I need that monster right now, because Night Sorceress is stronger than your Shining Angel. Never sleep, never die, my Sorceress and destroy Kristiann's fairy!" Amy called as her dark spell caster blocked Kristiann's attack with a spin of its scepter. Then she charged her own dark energy beam and fired it at Kristiann's angel, striking and destroying it, reducing Kristiann's life points to 6300. "My Shining Angel may have been destroyed, but because of its special ability I can summon another light monster to take its place, namely my Mystical Elf in defense mode!" Kristiann called as her beautiful elf emerged with 800 attack and 2000 defense.

"Mystical Elf should be able to protect me for now, but I'll set this card facedown just in case and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Then it's my move once again." Amy stated as she drew a card. "Alright, we've all been summoning weak monsters, so I think it's about time for me to summon one of my strongest monsters. I activate the spell card Polymerization and use to fuse together Night Sorceress with the Regenerating Rose monster in my hand in order to summon Black Rose Mage in attack mode!" Amy called out as her spell caster of beautiful dark roses emerged with 2300 attack and 2200 defense. "Now, Black Rose Mage, prove that shadow power is more than good enough to overcome the light!" Amy commanded as her monster unleashed a dark rose whip that struck Mystical Elf, destroying it with a cry and reducing Kristiann's life points to 6000.

"Wait a minute! Why did I lose life points? My monster was in defense mode." Kristiann questioned. "Well you know that they say that every rose has its thorn and my monster's special ability is just that. Whenever it destroys one of your defense mode monsters, you still take life points damage anyways." Amy explained in response. "And with that, I'll lay one little card facedown and end my turn. Just try and stand up to this kind of shadow power!" Amy concluded her turn with a laugh.

"You know Amy, I'm really enjoying this duel because I'm a big fan of your music." James stated. "Really? Me too!" Bastion interjected. "Well thank you." Amy responded. "But with that in mind, I'm also enjoying this duel because I get to defeat the singer of that music. Your music got me through some really dark stuff, but it didn't entirely help. That's not to say it's not good, but I took it a little too much to heart." James continued. "Yea, I get that, and I'm sorry." Amy replied somewhat sadly. "There's no need to apologize, but just know that I'm not holding anything back in this duel." James replied with a smile as he drew a card. "And to prove that, I'll summon my Slate Warrior in attack mode!" James called as his funky, blue monster appeared with 1900 attack and 400 defense.

"I might not be able to attack you just yet, Amy, but your partner is wide open. Slate Warrior, attack Carboneddon!" James commanded as his monster dashed forward, staff spinning. "I don't think so, James. I might not be as strong as Amy, but that doesn't mean you're going to walk all over me. I activate my trap card Circulatory Reroute! This card redirects the flow of your attack and instead makes myself the target of your attack." Bastion explained as Slate Warrior jumped over Carbeneddon and impacted Bastion the man with its staff, reducing his life points to 5800. "But it was a small price to pay, because I'm going to need that monster next round." Bastion explained as James's warrior returned to his side of the field and Bastion recoiled from the attack.

"Alright, hit me with your best shot then." James offered as he placed a card facedown and concluded his turn. "Don't mind if I do!" Bastion called as he drew a card. "First off, I believe we need to add something to this arena and this field spell is just that. I activate that field spell Centrifugal Field!" Bastion called as he inserted the card into his duel disk and immediately the room became charged with energy. "And just what does this do?" James asked. "You'll find out soon enough. But in the meantime I activate another spell card, Global Magic Recycling to be exact. Instead of using a new card effect, now I can use reuse a spell card from the graveyard and help save the environment too! And so I'll use another scientific formula in the form of Amy's Polymerization card to fuse together Oxygeddon and Carboneddon in order to create Carbon Monoxide Beast in attack mode!" Bastion called as his creature of smoke emerged with 2400 attack and 1100 defense.

"Impressive, eh chaps? My toxic gas monster also has the power to choke yours out and decrease the attack points of one monster on the field by 500. And I'll think I'll use that power on your Slate Warrior, James." Bastion explained as some of his monster's smoke traveled to James's side of the field and formed a cloud around Slate Warrior, reducing its attack points to 1400. "And that makes it right for the picking. Carbon Monoxide Beast, attack Slate Warrior!" Bastion commanded as his smoke creature unleashed a wave of toxic gas that consumed Slate Warrior and destroyed it, reducing James's life points to 5000. "My monster may have been destroyed, but his special ability still kicks in. When Slate Warrior is destroyed in battle, the monster that destroyed it loses 500 attack points." James explained as Bastion's monster's attack points dropped to 1900.

"And that should leave it right for the picking for Kristiann." James stated optimistically as he looked at Kristiann and the two nodded to each other. "Well we'll just have to see about that! I end my turn." Bastion concluded his turn. "Don't worry, James I'll handle this!" Kristiann exclaimed confidently as she drew a card. "You're in for it now. I summon my old friend Arctic Princess to the field in attack mode!" Kristiann called out with a giggle as her beautiful icy girl emerged with 1800 attack and 500 defense. "And my Arctic Princess has a special ability that lets me search my deck for an equip spell and add it to my hand. And I'll think you'll enjoy the one I have here." Kristiann grinned as she searched for the card.

"Check this out! I equip my Arctic Princess with the Sacred Bow of Light Arrows!" Kristiann called as her monster received the bow with shining arrows. "That's sounds impressive, but what can it really do?" Amy asked. "First off it gives my princess 700 extra attack points. But it also lets me destroy one dark monster on the field once per turn. And I think we both know which one I'm picking." Kristiann explained with a smile as her Arctic Princess, now with 2500 attack points, took aim at Amy's Black Rose Mage. "Fire!" Kristiann commanded as her monster cocked a light arrow and shot it directly at Amy's spell caster. "I don't think so! I'm not just going to let light beat me out. I activate my trap card Dark Illusion! Since you targeted one of my dark monsters with a spell card, this card negates the effect of your card." Amy explained as her monster knocked the arrow out of the air with a super charged dark whip. "But more than that, it destroys your equip spell, making your little princess too weak once again." Amy added with a dark smile as the bow was destroyed, reducing Arctic Princess's attack points back to their original 1800.

"Hmph, alright, there's nothing else I can do. I end my turn." Kristiann concluded with a disappointed sigh. "Excellent, then allow me." Amy stated as she drew a card. "There's no new cards I'm gonna play right now either, but I don't necessarily need any right now. After all, one of your life points is wide open and I happen to have a strong monster already on the field. James, I appreciate that you're a fan, and I'm truly sorry if my music caused you any pain, but I guess you're going to have to put up with it for a little bit longer because I'm coming for you." Amy told him. "Black Rose Mage, attack James's life points directly!" Amy commanded as her monster drew back its black rose whip. "Thanks Amy, but I'm stronger now and that's bad news for you in this duel. I activate my trap card A Hero Emerges! Now you have to pick one random card from my hand and if it's a monster, then I get to summon it. So what'll it be?" James taunted as he held up his hand.

"I pick the card on the far left." Amy decided as she pointed to the card. "Oh, bad choice! Well for you anyways. Because now I get to summon a strong monster of my own. Come forth, Phoenix Gearfried!" James called out as his warrior of fiery might emerged with 2800 attack and 2200 defense. "A cool twist on an old monster, hunh? And now only that but Phoenix Gearfried is way stronger than your Black Rose Mage." James boasted as Amy's monster called back its whip before the attack hit. "Fine, I call off my attack. But don't think it ends here. I end my turn. Let's see what you can do with your new monster." Amy concluded. "Don't mind if I do." James replied as he drew a card. "While I may be able to destroy either of your monsters, I think I'm gunning for yours Amy. Here it comes, Phoenix Gearfried attack Black Rose Mage!" James commanded as his knight dashed forward.

"Your phoenix won't be flying this round, because I have a trap card. I activate Shadow Barrier, which negates your attack before it hits." Amy countered as a wall of dark energy shielded her monster from harm. "Alright, not bad, but I thought you might have a trap handy. That's why I have this spell card in reserve. I activate the equip spell Phoenix Shot Blaster and give it to Gearfried." James explained as the fire blaster was equipped to his warrior. "And just what does that do?" Bastion asked. "I'm glad you asked. See if my monster doesn't complete an attack this turn, which it didn't thanks to your trap card, then I can destroy one monster on the field. See, either way, I can rise like a phoenix to fly! However I think this time I'm taking out your Carbon Monoxide Beast. Hope it's not flammable!" James called as his warrior unleashed a barrage of fire bolts that struck the gas monster and exploded it.

"Hmph, you may have destroyed my Carbon Monoxide Beast, but by doing so you've activated the special effects of my field spell. Since my fusion monster was destroyed by a card effect, I can bring back to the field one of its fusion material monsters, namely Oxygeddon. You know what they say, every action has an equal and opposite reaction." Bastion explained as his wind dinosaur came back with 1800 attack and 800 defense. "Clever, but not clever enough. I end my turn." James concluded confidently. "We will see about that." Bastion said ominously as he drew a card. "This is it, chaps. I activate the spell card Water Cycle! By sending one water monster from my deck to the graveyard, I can special summon back two other water monsters from my graveyard, so long as their new attack total becomes equal to the monster I discarded." Bastion explained.

"Hunh?" James asked confused. "Ah, allow me to demonstrate. I send my Revival Jam from my deck to the graveyard in order to summon back my two Hydrogeddons from my graveyard. However, each of the attack points of my Hydrogeddons is now 750, half of Revival Jam's. Make sense now?" Bastion explained as his two water dinosaurs emerged, each with 750 attack and 1000 defense. "Oh it get it now." James admitted. "Good, then allow me to throw one more scientific formula your way. This one is my favorite. You see, I live for science and mathematics and I emulate that in my dueling. But this formula is a tad bit more than that. You'll see soon enough as I activate Bonding – H20! By sacrificing both Hydrogeddons and Oxygeddon and bonding their molecules together, I can summon the ultimate monster of my deck: Water Dragon!" Bastion called as his two monsters were chemically bound and his new dragon of water emerged with 2800 attack and 2600 defense.

"That's an impressive monster!" James exclaimed. "You think so now, but just wait until you see what it can do. Water Dragon attack Phoenix Gearfried!" Bastion commanded. "But our monsters have equal attack points!" James pointed out. "I beg to differ. Because of Water Dragon's special ability, all fire monsters on the field have their attack points reduced to 0, making our monsters drastically not equal." Bastion explained as Phoenix Gearfried lost all power and was washed away by Bastion's attack, reducing James's life points to 2200. "Now do you comprehend the power of science? Combined with Amy's shadow power, you don't stand a chance, ha!" Bastion boasted as he concluded his turn.


	34. Chapter 34: Quoth the Raven

Chapter 34- Quoth the Raven

"You seem to have forgotten that it's my turn though and we're not giving up. I'm taking you out here and now!" Kristiann stated determinedly as she drew a card. "Hmm, you think so? Well let's see how well you fare after I activate my DNA Transplant trap card!" Bastion called as he activated his facedown card. "As long as this trap card remains in play, all monsters on the field have their genetic code rearranged and become any attribute of my choosing. And I'm choosing to make every monster of the fire attribute!" Bastion revealed dramatically as every monster, namely Arctic Princess and Black Rose Mage, became creatures of fire. "But that means that…" Kristiann began. "Yes, since every monster is a fire monster, all monsters lose their attack points due to Water Dragon's special ability. But of course, since my monster is made of pure water, so it's not affected by my trap card, allowing it to retain its attack points." Bastion explained as both Arctic Princess's and Black Rose Mage's attack points were shot down to 0.

"That puts me at a major disadvantage, but Amy's monster doesn't have any attack points either. And with this card…" Kristiann thought to herself. "Bastion, now my monster doesn't have any attack points either!" Amy snapped to her partner. "Ah yes, but that's just collateral damage. After all, Kristiann's monsters don't have any attack points, so you're at a virtual stalemate for now." Bastion explained. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." Kristiann commented with a grin. "Oh? And how's that?" Amy questioned as she turned back to her opponent. "Because I just drew a spell card that just might pull through for me. I activate Ice Queen's Scepter and equip it to my Arctic Princess!" Kristiann called out as her monster held the magical rod. "With this card, my Arctic Princess becomes immune to all continuous spell or trap cards on the field, and I believe your DNA Transplant fits that description perfectly." Kristiann explained as her Arctic Princess's attribute changed back to its original water and it regained its 1800 attack points.

"And since my Arctic Princess is not a fire monster anymore, it gains all of its attack points back. However your monster Amy still doesn't have any." Kristiann smirked as Amy looked slightly shocked. "Arctic Princess, destroy Black Rose Mage once and for all!" Kristiann commanded as her girl shot a blast of icy light energy from its scepter, striking Amy's spell caster and dropping her life points down to 4000. "Impressive, but did you think a monster like Black Rose Mage would just leave without a little something? Her special ability allows me to summon another monster to take her place when she's destroyed. So say hello to my Ritual Raven!" Amy called out as her tiny black bird emerged with 300 attack and defense.

"That monster's a lot weaker than your last monster." Kristiann stated. "Yes, but that doesn't mean it isn't useful." Amy replied. "That thing?" Kristiann questioned. "Of course." Amy replied again with a knowing smile. "Well I'll take your word for it, 'cause I don't really want to find out. But at any rate, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Excellent, it's my move then." Amy stated as she drew a card. "To start off, I'll activate my Upstart Goblin spell card, which grants you, Kristiann and James, an extra 1000 life points." Amy explained as James and Kristiann's life points rose to 3200. "I'm guessing you didn't just give us those life points out of the goodness of your heart." Kristiann stated flatly. "That's right. I also get to draw one card from my deck." Amy added as she drew a card.

"And now I have everything that I need to put my master plan into action." Amy stated with a dark smile. "I activate the spell card Nevermore Ritual! There's a reason I summoned my Ritual Raven because its special ability lets me use it entirely as the sacrifice for ritual summoning a dark monster. And I'm about to summon the strongest and most beautiful monster of my deck." Amy exclaimed as a vortex soon enveloped her monster on the field. "You see, darkness and shadow are often misunderstood. When people think of darkness, they usually think of evil things, fiends, demons, and such. But I believe darkness to be so much better than that. To me, darkness is not something evil, it's something pure and good, though not light." Amy explained. "I know exactly what you mean, Amy." James replied. "Thank you. It's for that reason that I've dedicated my deck to the purity of darkness. And now it's finally time to summon the embodiment of that power and my favorite monster. I sacrifice my Ritual Raven in my Nevermore Ritual spell card in order to special summon Dark Enchantress Raven!" Amy called as her tiny raven was absorbed into the vortex. In a flash of shadow energy, a phantom bird emerged and from it, a beautiful, cloaked girl emerged with 2800 attack and 2600 defense.

"Alright, way to go Amy!" Bastion cheered happily. "I wouldn't be so happy, because after all, due to your own partner's cards, your monster loses all its attack points." Kristiann reminded as Raven's attack points dropped to 0. "That may be so, but don't think I didn't plan for that. That's why I'm equipping Raven with this spell card: Scroll of Bewitchment! This changes her attribute back to dark and restores her attack points. Nice try though." Amy explained as her monster gained its attack points back. "But unfortunately for you, that's not where it ends. See Raven is a very special girl and as such has a very special ability. Once per turn I can take one of your cards and flip it facedown. Allow me to demonstrate on your Ice Queen's Scepter." Amy explained as Raven raised her arm and surrounded the rod with dark energy, forcing the spell card to go facedown. "Oh no, my Scepter! Arctic Princess's attack points go back down to zero!" Kristiann exclaimed as her monster lost all power.

"Precisely. Now, Dark Enchantress Raven, destroy Arctic Princess!" Amy commanded as her spell caster unleashed a wave of dark energy that ripped through Kristiann's monster, reducing her life points to 400. "You must not know about my Arctic Princess's special ability. When she's destroyed in battle, I can automatically special summon my favorite monster right from my deck: Shining Arctic Queen in attack mode!" Kristiann called out as her icy queen of light emerged with 2800 attack and 1500 defense. "Well you must not remember that DNA Transplant is still in play and due to Water Dragon's effect, your new monster's attack points are reduced to zero." Amy pointed out as Shining Arctic Queen lost all attack points. "Luckily for you though, I'm finished with my turn, after I put this one card facedown of course." Amy concluded her turn.

"Ha, with my queen and her best monster by my side, there's no way that I can lose!" James exclaimed confidently as he drew a card. "I activate the spell card Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards, but only if I then discard two." James explained as he performed the action. "Hmph, you think you have anything that can overcome the power of science? And of course Amy! Your light power is no match against her!" Bastion asked mockingly. "Bastion, just what is your deal? I mean I get the whole science thing, but the whole Amy thing sounds really fan boyish." James commented lightheartedly. "Yea, haha, maybe he has a crush on her." Kristiann added with a laugh. "No… I… I don't." Bastion said hesitantly as he blushed greatly. "Oh, then why are you blushing so much?" Kristiann pointed out with another giggle. "Well that's just uh, oh just make your move." Bastion snapped as Amy just rolled her eyes. "Alright, I think I will. Your dragon may be made of all water, but can it handle this storm? I activate the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon, which lets me destroy one magic or trap card on the field. So say goodbye to your DNA Transplant!" James called as a mighty whirlwind encircled Bastion's trap and destroyed it. "Oh no, with that gone all monsters return to their original attributes!" Bastion exclaimed.

"Exactly so now Shining Arctic Queen gets her attack points back!" James added as his lady's lady gained all of her 2800 attack points back. "But I have more where that came from. My queen may have all her attack points back, but she still needs her noble knight by her side." James stated with a smile and a nod to Kristiann. "By removing from play Neo the Magic Swordsman and the newly discarded Cyber Raider, I can special summon my own favorite monster: Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning!" James called as his two monsters appeared in shadow, but where then transferred into a vortex of light, heralding the arrival of James's strongest knight with 3000 attack and 2500 defense. "Not only is my strongest monster out on the field, but since your trap card is gone, he's got all of his attack points. Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning, attack Water Dragon! Where's your science now?" James called as his knight got ready and began running towards its enemy.

"We don't need science if we have shadow magic. I activate Spellbinding Circle! Now your knight can't attack and is trapped for as long as this card is active." Amy countered as a circle of magic energy entrapped James's warrior. "Which won't be for very long, because I have a trap card of my own. I activate Guardian Angel Burst!" Kristiann countered as she revealed her facedown card. "This card negates your Spellbinding Circle and destroys it. He may be my knight, but I'm still his guardian angel." Kristiann explained as she looked lovingly at James and the magic circle around Black Luster Soldier vanished. "Thanks, my lady! And with that out of the way, Black Luster Soldier is free to complete its attack. Kick it!" James exclaimed as his warrior slashed Water Dragon, destroying it in an explosion of water, reducing Bastion's life points to 3800.

"No matter, for you see, when Water Dragon is destroyed, I can special summon back the Oxygeddon and two Hydrogeddons used to make it." Bastion explained as all three of his dinosaurs came back, Oxygeddon with 1800 attack and 800 defense, and each Hydrogeddon with 1600 attack and 1000 defense. "Obviously you don't know one of Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning's special abilities, or else you would think it's a big deal. Right after he destroys a monster, Black Luster Soldier can attack again in the same turn. You know what that means. Say goodbye to your Oxygeddon!" James added as his knight also slashed the wind dinosaur, destroying it and reducing Bastion's life points further to 2600. "And with that out of the way, I end my turn." James concluded.

"Then allow me to attempt a comeback." Bastion stated as he drew a card. "And I believe this card will do the trick. I activate Ritual of Lithmus! Once I first tribute my two Hydrogeddons, I can summon a second one of my favorite monsters: Swordsman of Doom Lithmus!" Bastion called out as his two water monsters were sacrificed to summon the new warrior with 0 attack and defense. "That's not much of a comeback if your monster has no attack or defense points." James pointed out. "Ah, my dear fellow, you should know by now that the formula for success is not always in attack points. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Bastion concluded his turn ominously. "Well whatever that means, it's my move." Kristiann stated as she reached to draw a card. "Now hold on one moment! Before you draw, I activate my trap card Draw Paradox! With this card in effect no player gets to draw during their own turn. Instead you get to draw during your opponent's turn and vice versa. So for this turn, Amy gets to draw, on Amy's turn you can draw, James draws on my turn, and I on his." Bastion explained. "That's stupid!" Kristiann whined as Amy smiled devilishly and drew a card. "No it's science! Observe! Now that I have a continuous trap card on the field, my Swordsman of Doom Lithmus's special ability kicks in, granting it 3000 attack and defense points." Bastion countered proudly as his monsters stats rose to 3000 attack and defense.

"Well in that case, I don't have anything to play this turn. Sorry James, I end my turn." Kristiann concluded her turn. "That's ok baby, cause remember you can draw now that it's Amy's turn." James reminded as Kristiann did indeed draw a card. "Besides, I doubt Amy has anything to stand up to our unstoppable duo anyways." James remarked confidently. "Well now that you mention it, I don't exactly have what I need, but this facedown should do nicely for now." Amy conceded as she set a card facedown. "It's seems that we're perfectly evenly matched now. Just look at the field, we each have a monster with 3000 and 2800 attack points respectively. I guess we'll find out here just what tips the balance of light and shadow, chivalry and science. With that said I end my turn." Amy Lee concluded.

"We will indeed. Bastion, it's your draw, but still my move. And in this one last turn, I'm going to tip the balance just like Amy said and win this duel." James stated. "We will see, old chap." Bastion replied as he drew a card. "We will indeed. Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning, attack Dark Enchantress Raven!" James commanded as his knight began its dash towards Amy's side of the field. When the two monsters collided, Raven tried to block the sword blow, but couldn't keep up the shadow energy shield and was struck, destroying her and reducing Amy's life points to 2400. "Did you think that Raven would just go down without leaving a little something behind? No, she's better than that. When she's sent to the graveyard, I'm able to activate a field spell directly from my deck and it's quite the powerful one. Behold, Mystical Realm of Azrath!" Amy called out as the arena changed to a mystical cityscape.

"What exactly does this new field spell do?" Kristiann asked. "Well first off, it increases the attack points of all dark spell casters by 500, but it also has a second effect. Three turns from the time it's played, I can sacrifice it in order to summon back Raven to the field. So I would end this quick, or you'll have a problem on your hands." Amy revealed with a smile. "I wouldn't worry about that. After all, I can end this duel right here and now. Since Black Luster Soldier destroyed one of your monsters this turn, he can attack again. And since you don't have any monsters left, he can go right for your life points! Finish her!" James explained as his knight charged again, without moving from Raven's former spot and went right for Amy.

"Oh no, we'll lose the duel!" Bastion exclaimed in suspense. "Not quite! Go Final Tourniquet!" Amy countered as her facedown card came between her and Black Luster Soldier, stalling the attack. "You know what this card does, James? It makes it so I don't lose the duel, but I still lose all my life points." Amy explained as her life points hit zero. "But that doesn't make any sense, you should have lost!" Kristiann pointed out. "Normally yes, but with this card, I get to summon a monster from my deck to take the place of my life points. As long as it remains on the field, we remain in this duel. And I'm only summoning the best wielder of shadow magic: Dark Magician of Chaos!" Amy called as her powerful sorcerer emerged with 2800 attack and 2600 defense. "Well he's not too bad, but James's Black Luster Soldier can still beat it!" Kristiann pointed out. "He could yes, but you forgot to factor in the effects of my new field spell, which gives my Magician an extra 500 attack points, making it stronger than James's Soldier." Amy explained as her monster's attack points rose to 3300.

"Amy, I've waited a while for this round to happen. It's kind of ironic that you played Final Tourniquet on the last turn. It was that same song of yours that was the darkest for me. I still won't listen to it now because of the feelings I put with it. So you understand that this means a lot to me to be able to defeat it now." James spoke. "I do, it's kind of like burying the past for good. I get that. But there's still one question left unanswered: How exactly do you plan to win in this turn when my monster clearly outmatches yours?" Amy responded. "Maybe this card will answer your question then. I activate the quick-play spell card Rush Recklessly! By making my Black Luster Soldier the target of this card, he gains 700 extra attack points. Granted it's only for one turn, but that's all I need to finish this duel once and for all." James explained as his warrior's attack points rose to 3700.

"Kristiann, all this was possible only because you were by my side. I couldn't do it without you, my lady. I love you, and thank you." James said sentimentally to his partner in dueling and in life. "I love you too, James, and you're welcome. Now go ahead and finish your attack and end this duel and the past forever." Kristiann replied lovingly. "I will. Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning, attack Magician of Dark Chaos and finish her off!" James commanded as his knight completed its attack by striking its blade against the ground, creating a shock wave of light energy that slashed across Amy's spell caster, destroying it and ending the duel.


	35. Chapter 35: And There Were Four

Chapter 35- And Then There Were Four

"Amy!" Bastion cried out as the holograms faded and Amy got back on her feet. "It's alright, Bastion, we lost, but we did our absolute best." Amy consoled. "Well yes, but still…" Bastion trailed off as James and Kristiann walked over to Amy and Bastion. "Hey, good duel!" James congratulated, though his team won. "Just goes to show you though, Amy, that light does win out over shadow." Kristiann commented with a grin. "Well I'm a little more open to the idea now, but don't think I'll admit that just yet." Amy smiled back. "Um, Amy." Bastion said sheepishly. "Yes, Bastion?" Amy responded.

"Um, so you know how they were making fun of me earlier and saying that I had a crush on you, well…" Bastion began but was interrupted as the television screen in the arena like room came to life, projecting the face of Maximilian Pegasus to the four duelists. "Greetings and congratulations, James and Kristiann, on your newest victory! Amy Lee and Bastion, you have done well, but not quite good enough as you would say." Pegasus told them with a chuckle. "On a slightly more serious note however, I have someone on the other line, Amy who would like to speak with you." Pegasus revealed. "Really? Who?" Amy asked as a new face appeared on the screen. "Hiya baby!" The brown haired, bearded man named Josh Hartzler called excitedly from the screen. "Hey honey!" Amy called back very happily to the man. "When I heard you made it to the second round of the tournament I was super happy for you and decided to call Pegasus to talk to you. I've been following the whole tournament on TV." Josh told her. "Oh so you heard that I lost I guess." Amy said almost sadly. "Yea, but that's ok, it was a great duel. I'm so proud of you!" Josh replied optimistically.

"Thanks, baby." Amy replied happily relieved. "No prob, anyways, I guess I'll let you go. And I'll see you soon! Bye, my beautiful wife, I love you!" Josh waved as he blew a kiss. "I love you too, Josh!" Amy also blew a kiss as Josh's face left the screen. "Uh… gu… uh… wife?" Bastion asked dumbfounded. "Oh yea, Bastion, you didn't know that I'm married?" Amy asked as if the fact was obvious. "Um, no." Bastion replied sheepishly. "Oh, yea, Josh and I got married like three years ago. See the beautiful ring he gave me!" Amy continued as she raised her hand, showing everyone the diamond ring upon her finger. "Uh… oh… argh!" Bastion comically exclaimed as James patted him on the back. "Don't worry Bastion, you can still be a fan boy if you want." James consoled with a huge grin. As Bastion continued to pout, Pegasus's face reappeared on the television screen.

"Well I'm sure that reunion was pleasant for everyone. Josh is such a nice guy and so cute with Amy too! Sigh… But anyways, now that the second round has come to a conclusion for you, it's time to proceed into the next room. After all, most of the other teams have already finished their duels. As usual, James and Kristiann, please enter the door opposite of the ones you entered. Bastion and Amy, I'm sorry to say that this tournament experience has come to an end for you. But don't feel too bad, you both did your best and I do so hope to see you again in future tournaments. When you're ready, you may exit through the doors you came through, but feel free to stick around on the island. After all the semifinals start tomorrow and the action is sure to be intense! I think that covers everything, so for now, adieu." Pegasus concluded as the screen went blank again and both sets of doors opened.

"Well I guess this is where we go separate ways." James stated. "It would appear so. Well James, Kristiann, it was nice meeting you two and who knows, maybe we'll meet again sometime." Amy added. "Oh yes, indeed it was great fun. See you chaps later!" Bastion inputted. "See ya!" Kristiann finalized as Bastion and Amy walked out through the doors they all came through. "Alright then, I've guess we've got our own way to go. Shall we go, my lady?" James asked as he took Kristiann's hand and kissed it. "Yea, let's go." Kristiann replied lovingly as the two walked towards the doorway at the other end of the arena room. After going through a small hallway, the portal led to a second, closed door. James reached for the doorknob as he held the door open. "Thanks." Kristiann said as she walked into the next room with James soon to follow. The room they now stood in was much smaller than the two previous arena rooms, but still rather spacious. There was a coffee table in the center of the room as well as a few assorted couches and chairs around the table. Sitting on two of the couches were Adrian and Echo, and Zane and Becca respectively. Seated in an unnecessarily fancy chair in front of the table was Maximilian Pegasus himself.

"So then I was like wehoohoo! Ah, James and Kristiann, so glad that you could make it here! It looks like most of your friends made it too." Pegasus greeted the newly arrived duelists. "Well if isn't James and Kristiann. Good to see you too again!" Adrian waved from the couch. "So, you two made it this far as well. That's good. Perhaps we'll face off again in the semifinals." Zane speculated flatly. "Hey James, hey Kristiann!" Becca also waved. "Alright, with such goods teams in the next round, it's bound to be intense!" Echo added to the greetings. "Hey everyone, glad to be here!" James returned the sentiments as he and Kristiann sat down on one of the couches. "Indeed I am so glad that all of our top duelists have made it thus far to the top four." Pegasus affirmed. "Wait, top four teams? I only count three. Where's the last team?" Kristiann asked. "They're still finishing up their duel. They'll be here shortly." Pegasus told them as he glanced at his watch.

"So I guess we can't do much of anything until they come, right?" James asked. "Precisely, all we have to do here is wait…" Pegasus stated but just that moment, a door opened up and the fourth team walked into the room. "Now that we won our second round duel, in the semifinals we will rule!" Xime exclaimed as he and Lance strode in. "You mean these guys are the long awaited fourth team? That's kind of embarrassing." Adrian whispered to Echo, who laughed in response. "Well we're here now, so let's say we get this party started." Lance stated as he threw himself on one of the couches. "Yes, now that all four final teams have arrived, we can begin this little meeting." Pegasus stated as he got up from his chair and Xime sat down next to Lance.

"First off, I would like to say congratulations to everyone for making it this far. I have no doubt that your last duels were quite challenging." Pegasus began. "But remember that we've reached the semifinals. The top four tag team duelists in the world are currently sitting in this very room, just waiting to duke it out. However, you have all dueled admirably today and so we will hold off the remainder of the tournament until tomorrow." Pegasus revealed. "Why not continue this here and now?" Zane asked. "Well just because you may be ready, doesn't mean that everyone is. Besides, I have something very special planned for you all tonight. In fact, if you would please follow me, I'll take you to a different part of the castle." Pegasus added as he moved over to a door and opened it.

"Well, come on." Pegasus urged as he held the door open. All of the other duelists looked at each other and then got up to follow the master of the castle. The party of duelists left the comfortable anteroom and began following Pegasus down a long, red carpeted hallway. "What the heck are all of these paintings for?" Lance asked as he looked on the side walls. At regular intervals were paintings and images of people, always a couple in each one. "Well that's a really overused couple." Echo stated as they passed a painting of two lovers, one with a knife in her chest and one lying over her, apparently dead. "Hey we learned about those guys in English class." Becca pointed to a painting of two women in fancy dress and two men in equally fancy dress, but one holding a half-eaten muffin. "No way!" James exclaimed as he looked at a painting of a blonde-haired girl and a green-skinned boy playing carnival games. "Yea, aww I love those two!" Kristiann giggled as she recognized the couple from a popular TV show.

Pegasus remained silent as he led the group down the hallway until they approached a door at the end. "No way, is that…" Lance trailed off as he glanced up at a large painting above the upcoming doorway. The painting depicted a picnic scene with a beautiful young lady and a gray haired young man that looked remarkably like a younger version of Maximilian Pegasus himself. "One could consider me to be a collector of fine art. In fact, I used to be a painter myself in younger days. But you probably figured that one out by the painting above us." Pegasus told them, almost nostalgically. "But alas, we've reached the end of this art show and now it's time to move on." Pegasus continued as he opened the door at the end of the hallway which led to an outside hallway. Arches held up the roof as the group followed the cobblestone paved walkway.

"I didn't realize this castle had so much space. Just how many hallways are in this place?" Xime asked aloud. The question was ignored as the party of duelists reached an elaborate looking door that led back inside. When they reached the door, Pegasus stood in front of it and turned around to address the group. "My dear friends, we have arrived at what I call the inner sanctum of my castle. Not just anyone is allowed inside, but you eight are the elite in my tournament and have therefore earned the right to stay." Pegasus told them as he opened the door and allowed everyone to filter in. The main lobby of the so-called inner sanctum was large and split into two floors by a huge, elaborate staircase. The main floor had four doors coming out of it, one on each side of the staircase and one on each adjacent wall. On the second floor were a few more doors opposite the staircase and the subsequent railing as well as an elevator in the center.

"Wow, nice place you got here." Lance stated in amused amazement. "You think so? Well it is cozy. At any rate, I will be hosting a dinner in the main dining hall tonight at six o'clock sharp. The dining hall is just through that door there." Pegasus told them as he pointed to one of the side doors on the main floor. "But for the moment, you have about an hour to dinnertime. So you can go ahead and wash up. Your rooms are in the hallway through the second door on the right upstairs. Croquet will show you the way." Pegasus snapped his fingers as his chief servant appeared to lead the duelists to their rooms. "Remember to just meet me in the dining hall in one hour. In the meantime, have fun!" Pegasus finalized as the duelists all followed Croquet up to their respective rooms.


	36. Chapter 36: Destiny, Party of Twelve

Chapter 36- Destiny, Party of Twelve

"Hey those are nice rooms." James commented as he and Kristiann left their room to head to the dinner downstairs. "Yea, they are, but there's only one bed. That's ok for us, but it might be awkward for some of the others." Kristiann pointed out with a laugh. "Hey guys!" Becca called as she walked over to James and Kristiann in the hallway. "Hey Becca!" Kristiann responded. "Where's Zane?" James asked. "He's just showering real quick before dinner. He'll be here in a moment." Becca answered. "How do you like your room?" James asked casually. "It's nice, but there's only one bed. That makes it kind of awkward." Becca replied. "Yea, I'll bet. What are you gonna do?" Kristiann asked. "I don't know, I guess we'll figure it out later." Becca replied with a sigh. Just then, Adrian and Echo exited their room and joined the others in the hallway.

"Hey everyone, what's up?" Echo asked the three. "Hey, pretty good. You guys ready for the dinner?" James asked the pair. "Yep, we're all set…" Adrian replied and was probably going to say more, but he was interrupted by Lance and Xime entering the hallway from their rooms. "Out of my ways, losers, it's dinner time!" Lance shouted as he and Xime pushed through the others and left the hallway. "What's the deal with those guys?" Adrian asked no one in particular. "I dunno, but they must be pretty good duelists to just have made it this far." James stated in reply. "Or just comic relief characters. Still, I feel as I know them from somewhere." Adrian added. "Maybe, but whatever on them. We still have to get down to the dinner too you know." Echo pointed out. "True enough, let's go!" Adrian replied as he and his partner began walking down the hall and out to the main room.

"Do you think we should wait here for Zane?" Becca asked James and Kristiann, still in the hallway. "Yea, I guess we should. So Becca, how are you and Zane doing?" James asked his friend. "Oh good, our decks work really well with each other and we've really been dueling great." Becca replied. "That's not what I meant. I mean how are you and Zane doing?" James repeated with emphasis. "Oh, good I guess." Becca replied sheepishly. "You know, I have a good feeling about this dinner tonight. Maybe it'll be a good chance for you and Zane to get to know each other better outside of the battlefield." James stated. "Yea maybe. Hey, James, can Kristiann and I go down now and you wait for Zane? I kind of want to talk to her alone." Becca suggested, not trying to be rude. "Ah, girl talk, got it. Yea, sure go ahead. I'll wait here for the big guy." James answered as he propped himself up against a wall. "Thanks, see you downstairs." Becca thanked. "See you, baby, love you." Kristiann added to her boyfriend as the two girls walked off.

"So what did you want to talk to me about? Is it about Zane?" Kristiann asked the other girl. "Yea, it's just that we made it this far and I do really like him, but tonight's going to be a little tough." Becca told her. "You mean with the dinner? I told you, just be yourself and it'll all turn out how it's supposed to." Kristiann replied. "Well yes, I'm ok with that, I mean with after the dinner. It must have been some poor planning on Pegasus's part, but there's only one bed in each bedroom. I like the guy and all, but it would be weird sleeping in the same bed with him." Becca continued. "No, yea, you're right. It's ok for James and me and probably Adrian and Echo, but I can see how it'd be awkward for you. Think of it this way, it'll probably be even more awkward for Lance and Xime." Kristiann laughed. "Haha, yea you're right!" Becca also laughed. "I wouldn't worry about it, you'll figure it out when the time comes. Who knows, maybe it'll turn out for the better." Kristiann advised. "Yea, I guess you're right. Anyways, here we are. Thanks for talking to me." Becca said as they had already crossed the main lobby and were at the doors to the dining hall. "No problem, anytime. Now let's go eat!" Kristiann exclaimed as the two girls walked into the room.

Meanwhile, up in the hallway, James stood up against a wall when Zane opened up the door to his room and stepped into the hallway. "Oh hello." Zane greeted emotionlessly when he saw the youth. "Hey Zane, the girls went downstairs already, but I figured I'd wait here for you to get out and we could head down together." James told him. "Oh, ok." Zane responded emotionlessly as he walked past James and started down the hall. "So, Zane, how are you and Becca doing?" James asked with a grin as he caught up to the cyber-style duelist. "Fine, our tournament career together is going quite well." Zane answered, obviously dodging the question. "You know, Becca said almost exactly the same thing. But that's not what I meant. I mean, how are you two doing off of the dueling field?" James asked again. "Fine, I suppose." Zane responded again. "Oh come on, Zane, I know you like her, but you just won't admit it. I mean, I know how it goes, sometimes you don't fully realize you like someone until way later, but you two are so good together." James told him. "You think so?" Zane asked after a pause. "I do, and I think this dinner is a great opportunity to get that engine going!" James added.

"James, I really do appreciate what you're trying to do, but the fact is that dueling is my life and battle is all I've ever known, I don't have time or the capacity for a relationship." Zane revealed. "Oh come on, Zane, I know you have it in you. But, hey it's not my place to pressure you into anything you don't want. Just keep an open mind about it, k?" James asked as they approached the door to the dining hall. "Alright, I will." Zane gave in. "Cool. Oh and don't forget there's only one bed in the room, so…" James grinned. "Now you're pushing it, James." Zane stated annoyed. "Ok, I'll shut up. Anyways here we are!" James finalized as he pushed open the doors to the dining hall and he and Zane walked inside.

The dining hall was long and about as elegant as the rest of the castle. It composed of one single long banquet table with multiple seats on it. Seated at the table was Adrian, Echo, Lance, Xime, Kristiann, Becca, Maximilian Pegasus at the head, and Croquet standing next to his employer. "Well it's about time you guys got here." Echo stated jokingly as James and Zane took their seats next to Kristiann and Becca respectively. "Indeed, and now that we are all gathered, I have a few opening remarks to make before we begin." Pegasus told everyone as he stood up. "First off I would like to thank everyone for attending this evening and I hope you've all enjoyed your tournament experience. Finally the top four tag teams have gathered in this hall, but tomorrow only one team can be victorious and claim the ultimate prize as well as the tournament crown. But enough of this dramatic battlefield talk, because tonight, we're going to have some fun and good food!" Pegasus continued.

"But before we begin this feast, allow me to introduce two very special guests tonight. They may not be duelists, but they're no strangers to tag teams. In fact, this couple has, together, tackled the music industry and come out on top. You may know them, but try to contain your undoubtedly overwhelming excitement when I introduce to you Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez!" Pegasus exclaimed as the singing couple walked into the room from another door. There was a round of applause as the two stood by their seats near the head of the table. "Hey everyone, glad to be here! I'm not much of a duelist, but I love the game and I'm super happy to be here!" Marc Anthony told them all. "Yea, what he said. I'm glad to be here with you all too, especially with such a good theme like tag teams." Jennifer Lopez added as the two sat down. "Whether those two are duelists or not, there's no denying that J'Lo is hot!" Xime whispered to Lance. "You know, somehow a monk guy like you listening to J'Lo kinda disturbs me." Lance sighed in reply.

"Indeed, we all are glad to have you two as well. Now that everyone is finally here, I would like to propose a toast: to tag teams everywhere and the successful conclusion to this grand tournament!" Pegasus raised his glass of water as did all the others. "And now without further ado, bring on the feast!" Pegasus exclaimed as a side door in the room opened and multiple servants came in, each carting a whole bunch of delicious food. "Holy jeez! Look at all this food!" Lance exclaimed happily. When all the food was brought out, everyone happily dug in to the feast of great bounty.

"So tell me a little bit about yourselves. I just have to meet the best of best and know their stories." Marc Anthony said to all the teams. "Well I'm Adrian and this is my partner Echo." Adrian introduced. "Partner as in dueling partner or is this lovely lady a bit more?" Jennifer Lopez asked. "Just a bit more. Adrian and I have been through quite a lot. We grew up together, and eventually, well, we fell in love." Echo replied with a giggle and a cute look to Adrian. "That's so cute, I love it when couples duel together." Jennifer agreed. "I'll say! Well, I'm sure you two dudes aren't romantically linked, right?" Marc asked Lance and Xime. "What? Of course not! I'm Lance and this is my best buddy Xime!" Lance affirmed as he almost choked on a piece of chicken. "Ha, of course! A bro-mance, I hear ya. But I can just tell by looking at you that you two are together." Marc said to James and Kristiann. "Of course, Kristiann and I have been together for about a year and a half now. Of course that's nothing compared to the entire lives we'll spend together." James replied cutely with a loving look to his lady. "Aww, that's so cute! So how did you two meet?" Jennifer asked. "Hehe, you want to hear the whole story?" James asked with a grin as Becca and Kristiann giggled knowingly. "Of course!" Marc and Jennifer replied at the same time. "Well it all started one cold December night…" James began and went on to tell the whole tale.

"Croquet, you can sit down you know. There's no need to stand. Sit, and enjoy the feast." Pegasus said to his chief servant. "Thank you, Mr. Pegasus." Croquet replied as he sat down and ate. "Jeez, that was a long story, but I'm so happy for you two!" Marc laughed after James had finished. "And what about you two? You must be together." Jennifer asked Becca and Zane. Almost at the same time, Becca almost choked on her drink while Zane too had to stop eating temporarily. "Oh no, Zane and I aren't together! We just met not too long ago and decided to enter the tournament together!" Becca replied defensively. "Hehe, sounds to me like you two are in denial." Marc chuckled. "No, we're just two duelists both determined to make it to the top. We both share a common goal and are working towards it." Zane stated flatly. "Yea, yea, I'm sure, that's what they all say before it all goes down." Marc said jokingly. "Marc's right, sometimes love starts with two people sharing a common interest that brings them closer. That's what happened to Marc and I. We both love to sing and we grew closer through it." Jennifer told them as she looked lovingly at Marc, who looked lovingly back and kissed his lady's hand. "Yea, and sometimes two people just connect really strong. In the biz, we call those soul mates. Like our new buddies James and Kristiann here." Marc added.

"Yea, but you two still have time. After all, the tournament's not over yet." Jennifer also added. "Ah yes, but I could be soon. Who knows what's going down tomorrow?" Marc stated. "Who knows indeed? Sorry for the interruption, but we do have some business to attend to." Pegasus broke in as he rose out of his chair. "Ladies and gentlemen, we've come to that part of the night, right before dessert, where we do need to clear up a few things. Actually, there's only one thing we really need to clear up and that's who is dueling whom tomorrow. And I've come up with a rather clever way to determine just that. Observe." Pegasus stated as a TV projection screen rolled down on one of the walls and lit up to show four facedown cards on it. "You'll notice that there are exactly four facedown cards on the screen and four teams remaining. That is no coincidence. Each one of those facedown cards is in one of the decks of the teams and two sets of those cards have the same attribute. The task at hand? Each team will chose one of those facedown cards and whichever teams picks the card with the same attribute will duel each other." Pegasus revealed.

"Is there anyone who would like to go first? Actually I think Marc and Jennifer should pick the order. Marc? Jennifer?" Pegasus questioned. "Alright then, I think these two lovebirds Adrian and Echo should pick first." Marc stated. Adrian and Echo talked with each other for a second and then made their choice. "We pick the card on the top left." Adrian told Pegasus. "An excellent choice, let's see what card that is." Pegasus stated as the card was flipped over, revealing Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon. "Oh, that's funny it's the card in your own deck. And a wind attribute monster, meaning that there's another wind monster in the set, but which team will pick it?" Pegasus explained as he motioned to the singing guests to pick the next team. "How about Zane and Becca pick the next card?" Jennifer chose. "Fine, we choose the card on the top right." Zane stated after a second's consultation with Becca. "Alrighty then, let's see… Oh would you look at that, it's Kristiann's famous Shining Arctic Queen, a light monster. I guess that means that the next pick will decide the brackets." Pegasus revealed.

"Then I think the choice is obvious, James and Kristiann, let's see what you get." Marc picked with encouragement. "Us? Ok, well let's see… We pick the card on the bottom left." James pointed after consulting his partner. "Hmph, main characters always get picked for stuff." Lance grumbled to himself. "And the moment of truth! The card is… Zane's Cyber Dragon, another light monster! That means that James and Kristiann will face off against Zane and Becca in the semifinals and the team of Adrian and Echo will duel Lance and Xime!" Pegasus finally revealed. "I guess you'll get that rematch after all." James said as he looked with determination at his rivals. "It will be a great duel." Zane agreed with the faint of a smile. "Ha, yes! Finally, we get to get our revenge on Adrian and show everyone who the real main characters are!" Lance told Xime with triumph. "And with all that settled, I have nothing more to say. Oh look and just in time for dessert too! Well enjoy everyone; the rest of the night belongs to you!" Pegasus finalized as he sat back down again.

"Hey Marc, are you and Jennifer going to sing tonight?" Kristiann asked the singing duo. "Well we weren't planning on it, but I don't see why not. What do you think honey?" Marc asked his lady. "Yea sure! Any requests?" Jennifer asked the group. "Hey Marc, I think you should sing 'I need to know' for Zane and Becca. You know to try and get them closer." James whispered to the celebrity. "I like your thinking, dude. Yea, I'll go for it." Marc whispered back with a scheming smile. "Hey honey, I know what song to sing!" Marc revealed as he whispered something to Jennifer. "Alright sounds good, let's go!" Jennifer agreed as she and Marc stood up to sing. "Why do I have a feeling that this is going to be awkward and you played a part in this James?" Becca asked with a hint of annoyance. "Cause it is, and I did. Enjoy!" James replied with a huge grin. And so the night continued jovially for some, and awkwardly for others, though everyone had fun regardless, and Marc and Jennifer sung their song and everyone finished desert and overall had a grand old time.


	37. Chapter 37: A Shroud Descends

Chapter 37- A Shroud Descends

Meanwhile, while the party was ensuing inside the castle walls, the sun was setting outside in the woods nearby as a shadowy man skulked through the trees. The man was dressed in all black, from his shoes to his top hat. For accessories, the man wore a pair of glasses and carried a cane, that was more for style than for actual purpose. In his other hand, however, the man carried a medium sized briefcase. The man moved quietly, though not stealthily, through the forest, towards the direction of the castle. When he reached a clearing, the man turned and looked directly at the not too far of castle. "Ah, Mr. Truesdale, soon we shall meet again at last." The mysterious man thought to himself as he ambled his way towards the building. "And when I arrive, Mr. Truesdale, what I have in this briefcase will allow me to exact the perfect revenge." The man thought with a dark smile.

"Hey top hat!" A male voice called out as the young man called Gabe Saporta came running over to where the black-clad man was standing. "Just what are you doing around here, don't you know the tournament's already way underway?" Gabe asked the stranger. "I could ask you the same question, my friend." The man spoke in a Southern accent. "Yea well… whatever! I'm just uh, enjoying a walk is all!" Gabe replied defensively. "As am I, Mr…?" The man told him and asked his name. "Saporta! Gabe Saporta! You know as in the band Cobra Starship? You've heard of me right?" Gabe revealed. "Can't say I have, Mr. Saporta, but I am glad that we've been able to meet this evening." The stranger stated. "Oh, and why's that?" Gabe asked a little confused and annoyed. "Because I could very well use your help with a little something." The stranger revealed. "And why should I help out someone who doesn't even know who I am? I mean not that really many people know me anyways, but still!" Gabe asked.

"Because, I do believe we may have a common goal. You see, much like yourself, I'm trying to find a way into that castle there. And in that endeavor, I believe we can help each other." The mysterious man stated. "Wait, how'd you know that I'm trying to sneak into the castle?" Gabe shouted demandingly. "I have my ways, Mr. Saporta. So what do you say?" The stranger asked extending his hand to settle the deal. "Well, I guess so. You seem kinda creepy, but if we're both going the same way then why not?" Gabe answered as he took the man's hand and shook. "Excellent, I do believe you've made the right choice, Mr. Saporta. Now let's be on our way." The mysterious man urged as he began walking towards the castle again. "Wait, hold on! Before we go any further, just who are you and what's your name?" Gabe demanded. "Of course, how rude of me. The name's Shroud, but you can call me Mr. Shroud. I was a professional duelist manager back in the day, but if you need anything, still feel free to ask." Shroud revealed as he produced a business card from his clothing and handed it to Gabe.

"I don't want your lame business card! I just want to get in that castle!" Gabe snapped, though he accepted the card anyways. "Well then let's go." Shroud affirmed calmly as the two walked off towards the castle. After a little while of traveling, Mr. Shroud and Gabe reached one of the side walls of the castle. "Oh real great! What do we do now?" Gabe shouted as he pounded his hand against the bare, simple wall. "Patience, Mr. Saporta, I know exactly how we can gain entrance into the castle." Shroud simply stated as he pushed on one of the stones on the wall. It pushed inward, but nothing else happened. "Well that did a lot of good!" Gabe said exasperated as he threw his arms up. "O' ye of little faith, Mr. Saporta. There are two switches that open up this secret passage the other one is right there." Shroud revealed as he pointed to a stone with his cane. "This one… oh!" Gabe tried as he pushed on the stone and it gave, activating the trap door and opening a passageway in the wall. "Alright, that's kinda cool." Gabe admitted as the two stood there with their hands on each of the switches.

"Indeed, but this door only stays open if both of the switches are pressed. And that's where your help comes in, Mr. Saporta. Just on the inside of this door is a control panel that will deactivate the switches and hold the door open. But I need you to hold down both switches while I step inside and activate the holding control. Here, use my cane to reach my switch." Shroud offered as Gabe took his cane, which then Gabe took it and leaned towards Shroud's door. In a tedious moment, Gabe stood stretched out between the two switches, his hand on one and Shroud's cane on the other. "Alright, I think I got it. But hurry up, I don't know how long I can hold this." Gabe urged as Shroud stepped under his cane and into the passageway.

"Well thank you for your assistance, Mr. Saporta, but I'm afraid this is where we part ways." Shroud stated ominously. "Wait, what do you mean, what?" Gabe exclaimed as Shroud produced a tiny black ball from his clothes and shot it from his hand at Gabe. The orb hit Gabe's hand that held the cane and knocked the cane out of his hand, pressing off of the switches and shutting the passageway door. "You tricked me! You freakin' tricked me! I won't forget this!" Gabe shouted, but to no avail as Shroud was already making his way through the dimly-lit passage, chuckling evilly to himself the whole way.

Meanwhile…

"Man, that was some good food!" James exclaimed happily as the entire party of eight finalists exited the dining hall and entered the main lobby. "Yea it was. I didn't know you could eat that much, James!" Becca pointed out. "Hehe, I get that a lot. What can I say? Looks can be deceiving." James responded with a laugh. "Ah, my compliments to the chef!" Lance stated as he burped loudly, to which everyone laughed; everyone except Zane, who noticed something out of the corner of his eye. One of the doors next to the stairway, but off to the side, was creaked open a little and standing in the crack was half of the figure of the black-clad man known as Mr. Shroud. When Zane glimpsed at this, he turned to get a better view and the mysterious man grinned darkly as Zane looked both angry and shocked.

"Come on, Zane, laugh a little! You ok?" Becca asked as she drew Zane's attention away from the door. "Yes, I'm fine. I just thought I saw something." Zane replied trying to hide his emotions. "Over there? It's just a closed door. Nothing to it." Becca pointed out as she looked at the door where Shroud was previously standing, though he was there no longer. "I must have imagined it." Zane rationalized as he too looked again and saw nothing. The party continued talking happily until they all got up to the hallway with all of the bedrooms. Then they all said their goodnights and entered each of their rooms respectively.

Later that night…

"Well it's getting kind of late and I think we've practiced enough tonight." Becca stated as she shuffled her deck one last time. She and Zane had been sitting at the table in the room and going over some dueling strategies for the next day, but the night drew on. "I agree, we should probably get some sleep if we want to be in top form for tomorrow." Zane agreed. "Yea, plus I'm getting a little tired…" Becca added as she stood up and walked over to the single bed in the room. At this, Becca frowned a little, as did Zane. "So Zane, um, how…" Becca began. "Becca, I just want to go for a walk before I sleep. It helps me clear my thoughts." Zane stated, ignoring Becca's unfinished question. "Oh, ok, Zane. Do you want me to wait up for you?" Becca asked. "No, you can go to sleep. I won't be too long." Zane answered as he headed for the door. "Oh, ok. Well then, good night, Zane." Becca offered as she sat down on the bed. "Good night." Zane returned the words as he opened up the door and stepped outside the room.

"How could Pegasus leave only one bed in these rooms? Didn't he think that maybe someone not like James and Kristiann wouldn't also make it to the semifinals? It's no matter I suppose, I don't need much sleep, so I'll figure it out when I get back." Zane thought to himself as he walked down the hallway and out into the main lobby. "Besides, now I need to clear my thoughts or I won't sleep at all. But first I have to make sure what I saw earlier really was there." Zane added in his thoughts as he walked down the stairs and to the door where he thought he saw the mysterious stranger, though not to Zane, earlier. "Yes, Becca must have been right and I did imagine it." Zane thought relived as he saw nothing near the door or in the rest of the lobby.

"There's no one here." Zane said quietly aloud to himself as he turned and started up the stairs again. "Are you sure about that, Mr. Truesdale?" A chillingly familiar voice asked from behind Zane. Before Zane even stepped one foot on the stairway, he turned around and stood face to face with his old, underground manager. "Shroud." Zane said with contempt. "I'm flattered you remember me, Mr. Truesdale." Shroud told him with a wicked smile. "How could I forget someone like you? Though I'll admit I thought I'd seen the last of you after I threw you out of the car and fired you." Zane admitted. "I'm afraid you were very wrong. In fact, that little incident just made me want to get revenge on you, Mr. Truesdale. And now that I've made some, shall we say, powerful friends, I have all that I need to do just that." Shroud revealed as he held up the briefcase in his left hand.

"And just what do you plan to do to me?" Zane asked, wary of the possible contents of the briefcase. "Well you see, Mr. Truesdale, when you fired me, you had forgotten all that I'd done for you. Not only did I put an end to your overwhelming losing streak, but I taught you about power you haven't previously imagined. All I want to do is help you to remember the good old days and claim that power back for yourself." Shroud revealed as four thin metal poles sprouted from the briefcase, allowing it to stand feet from the ground. "And what do you think that will accomplish? I've come a long way since our underground days, in case you haven't noticed. It's going to take a little more than shock collars to get me back there now Shroud." Zane stated with a ting of anger in his voice.

"My dear friend, I don't plan on showing you again the glory of underground duels. That past is dead, Mr. Truesdale. But with this device here, I can literally bring the past to life." Shroud stated ominously as he opened up the briefcase like a laptop computer, complete with screen and keyboard. "What are you up to, Shroud?" Zane asked challengingly as he took a few steps closer. "You'll soon find out, Mr. Truesdale. Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." Shroud smiled darkly as he punched in a few commands into his briefcase computer. Suddenly, a dark aura appeared at Zane's feet and consumed him. Zane's scream was muffled by the dark energy as it took over him and Shroud laughed maniacally.

Meanwhile…

"Almost ready for bed, my love?" Adrian asked his lady Echo as she opened the bathroom door and walked out in her pajamas, ready for bed. "It's all yours, my king." Echo stated endearingly as she gave Adrian a quick kiss and walked over to the dresser in the room. "Oh Adrian, one quick thing before you get ready, do you by chance have anything I can take these with?" Echo asked her partner as she motioned to the allergy pills on the dresser. "Oh no, I don't. Hmm, let's see, I know you don't like water, but I don't think there's anything else in here." Adrian answered as he looked around. "Oh." Echo sighed. "But don't worry, I'm sure there's some kind of vending machine downstairs. Hotels have them, so why wouldn't this place? I'll go down and check." Adrian stated as he started for the door. "Thanks, honey. I love you." Echo called lovingly. "I love you too. I'll be right back." Adrian stated as he opened the room door and walked out into the hallway.

"Yea, I'm sure there are some kinds of drinks in a place like this. I just have to find them, for Echo. Ah, it's the least I could do for all that she's done for me." Adrian thought lovingly to himself as he walked nonchalantly down the hall. When he reached the door however, he heard voices out in the main lobby and paused, taking a spy like position against the door. Years of spy-like work had given him good instincts so he pressed his ear up to the door to hear the voices better. "Well how do you feel, Mr. Truesdale?" Adrian heard the mysterious Shroud ask Zane downstairs. "Fine actually, but I'm itching for a good fight." Zane replied, his voice now sodden with anger and bloodlust. "Excellent, I'm glad we're on the same page again. And don't worry, we'll find you a good opponent soon." Shroud said with pride in his voice. "The sooner I can crush another opponent and claim victory, the better." The new Zane added.

"Wait a minute, that's Zane's voice. But it sounds different, almost like… the old Zane, the one that used to duel only for power and victory!" Adrian whispered aloud to himself. "Oh don't worry, Mr. Truesdale, we'll find someone very soon." Shroud stated ominously and darkly. "This can't be good, but I should probably stop talking to myself and get in there and see what's going on." Adrian decided as he burst open the doors to the main lobby. "What's going on?" Adrian asked from the top of the steps as he looked down at the two other men. "Ah, I do believe an opponent has just come by now." Shroud pointed out.

"Well if it isn't Adrian. You're a decent duelist, and will make an excellent rival for me to crush!" Zane said challengingly to the top of the stairs. "Zane? What's wrong with you? And who is this guy? Just what's going on?" Adrian asked confused. "What's going on? You're about to feel my full power, now get down here and duel me!" Zane shouted. "Zane, what's gotten into you? You must have done something to him!" Adrian shouted accusingly to Mr. Shroud. "I didn't do a thing, except bring out the power Mr. Truesdale had with him all along. However I do believe you're making him impatient, so I suggest you come down here now." Shroud replied calmly. "He's right, Adrian. Now come down here so I can claim my victory!" Zane shouted again as Adrian sighed.

"Alright, Zane. I'm not too sure what happened here, but if it's a duel you want, then it's a duel you'll get. Maybe if I can defeat you, I can get to the bottom of this." Adrian sighed as he walked down the steps to the main floor. "The only thing that's going to be hitting the bottom here is your life points. But I'm glad you're starting to see things my way." Zane agreed as he and Adrian were on the same eye level and Zane activated his duel disk. "I think it's the only way to do things at the moment. You ready, Zane?" Adrian asked as he activated his duel disk. "I'm always ready, Adrian." Zane affirmed as his deck flashed with dark energy for a brief second. "Alright then, life points at 4000 and…" Adrian trailed off as both player's life points were indeed set at 4000 and each drew his opening hand. "Let's duel!" They both shouted at the same time.


	38. Chapter 38: All Hell Breaks Loose

Chapter 38- All Hell Breaks Loose

"I'll start this duel off, if you don't mind Zane." Adrian stated as he drew a card. "That's fine with me. If you set up a defense now, then I can just tear it apart next turn." Zane replied in his new, darker voice. "Alright, well I don't know just how fierce Zane really is now, so I should probably play it safe for now." Adrian thought to himself as he looked through his hand. "I summon Cloudian- Sheep Cloud in defense mode." Adrian called as his tiny, puffy cloud monster emerged with 0 attack and defense. "Is that all you're going to do: summon that pathetic cotton ball?" Zane taunted viciously. "After, I set this card facedown, yes." Adrian replied as he set one card facedown and ended his turn.

"Hmph, and here I was thinking you might pose some slight challenge." Zane remarked as he drew a card. "I summon Hunter Dragon in attack mode!" Zane called as his ferocious dark dragon emerged with 1700 attack and 100 defense. "Hunter Dragon, rip his pathetic cotton ball to shreds!" Zane commanded as his dragon flew towards it and slashed apart Adrian's monster, destroying it. "You may have destroyed my Cloudian- Sheep Cloud, but when it's sent to the graveyard, I can summon two Cloudian Tokens to take its place." Adrian explained as two more tiny cloud creatures emerged with 0 attack and defense. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Zane concluded. "Then it's my move again." Adrian stated as he drew a card.

"I see a little overcast in your future, Zane. I activate the spell card Cloudian Squall! But since I can't use its effects right away, I'll sacrifice both of my Cloudian Tokens in order to summon Cloudian- Nimbusman!" Adrian called out as his magic card was placed on the field and his two little clouds were sacrificed to bring out the slightly more impressive cloud monster with 1000 attack and defense. "Do you expect me to react? That monster is worthless, just like your last one was." Zane remarked. "I beg to differ, Zane. See, when Nimbusman is summoned to the field, I can put on him a Fog Counter for each monster I used to summon it. And since I used two Cloudian Tokens, Nimbusman gets two Fog Counters. And in case you're wondering what those do, my Cloudian- Nimbusman gains 500 attack points for each one." Adrian explained as his cloud man's attack points rose to 2000.

"But if you thought that was all, then I'm afraid your forecast is off. That's because your monster also loses the same amount of attack points that my monster gained." Adrian added as a fog rolled around Hunter Dragon, reducing its attack points to 700. "Now, Cloudian- Nimbusman, attack Hunter Dragon!" Adrian commanded as his cloud creature blew a gust of wind at the dark dragon, destroying it and reducing Zane's life points to 2700. Zane didn't even react to the attack or life point reduction, but instead just stood there and took it. "You're not going to even react at all?" Adrian asked, slightly shocked. "Why would I react to such a weak display of power?" Zane asked in reply. "Touché, but the future may be cloudier than you think. I end my turn." Adrian concluded. "Then it's my turn again." Zane stated as he drew a card.

"It's time for you to taste true power. I summon Cyberdark Horn!" Zane called out dramatically as his mechanical monstrosity emerged with 800 attack and defense. "When Cyberdark Horn is summoned to the field, it can absorb the power of one dragon monster in my graveyard, namely the Hunter Dragon you just destroyed." Zane explained as his Hunter Dragon emerged from the ground and Cyberdark Horn grabbed it into its clutches, increasing its attack points to 2500. "Wait, Cyberdark? But don't you usually use regular cyber monsters, like Cyber Dragon? Unless… oh no, you must have…" Adrian trailed off in sudden realization "…the Underworld Deck. That's exactly right. When Mr. Truesdale here realized his true power once again, his favorite deck came back to him once again." Shroud stated from the sidelines. "He's right. The Underworld Deck gives me power unmatched in any other deck. Witness it now! Cyberdark Horn attack Cloudian- Nimbusman with dark spear!" Zane commanded as his dark creature unleashed a blast of dark energy from its pincers, striking Adrian's cloud monster, dissipating it and reducing Adrian's life points to 3500. "That was a good attack, but the storm's not blowing over that easily. That's because Nimbusman can't be destroyed in battle." Adrian revealed as his monster returned fully to the field.

"That may be, but your life points are still forfeit. I activate my facedown trap card Cyberdark Summoning! By sending one card from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon another Cyberdark monster to the field, namely my Cyberdark Edge!" Zane exclaimed again as his winged, dark machine emerged with 800 attack and defense and he discarded a card. "And just like my Cyberdark Horn, Cyberdark Edge can also absorb a monster from my graveyard. And since I just sent Dread Dragon to the graveyard, I can use it to power up Cyberdark Edge." Zane explained as the ground opened up again and Zane's new monster grabbed onto the discarded one, increasing its attack points to 1900. "That wasn't a bad move, but that monster isn't strong enough to even attack my Nimbusman." Adrian pointed out. "Who said I'm attacking your Cloudian monster? Because of Cyberdark Edge's effect, I can halve its attack points and attack you directly!" Zane explained with malicious emphasis as his monster beat its dark wings, sending a shock wave of wind directly at Adrian, reducing his life points to 2550.

"Oh, that attack felt almost real." Adrian gasped as he recoiled from the blow. "That's the power of the Underworld Deck, Adrian. It teaches you the true point of dueling: to make your opponents suffer!" Zane shouted. "Apparently it also makes its user go totally psycho. But that's all good, because now it's my move." Adrian stated as he drew a card. "And this turn we're in for some light showers and a 100 percent chance of fog. That's because the effects of my Cloudian Squall kicks in now, putting on fog counter on every monster on the field. That might not seem bad, but remember Cloudian Nimbusman gains 500 attack points for every fog counter on the field." Adrian explained as his monster's attack points rose to 3500. "Actually, I may have given a wrong forecast. I said there were some light showers on the way, but what I really meant was an all out storm! Now that everything is in place, I activate one of my facedown cards: Rain Storm!" Adrian revealed his trap card.

"Allow me to explain how this works. By decreasing the attack points of my Cloudian- Nimbusman by 1000, I can destroy one card on your side of the field. The first thing to go: your Cyberdark Edge." Adrian explained as his cloud man floated to Zane's side of the field. "I'm afraid your rain cloud is nothing compared to the power of the Underworld Deck! Since you tried to target Cyberdark Edge, the equipped monster gets destroyed instead." Zane countered as Cyberdark Edge's attack points dropped to 800 and Nimbusman's attack points dropped to 2500. "Well if that's the case, then I'll just wash away your other equip monster as well." Adrian added as Nimbusman's attack points dropped to 1500 and it dissolved Cyberdark Horn's equip monster, reducing its attack points to 800 as well. "The storm's almost past, but I can still take out one more of your cards, namely Cyberdark Edge!" Adrian added as Nimbusman's attack points dropped to 500 and it consumed Zane's monster, destroying it and reducing Nimbusman's attack points down to 0 due to the removal of a fog counter.

"Are you through?" Zane asked impatiently. "Not quite, I have one last trick up my sleeve. I activate the trap card Natural Disaster! With this card, you lose 500 life points for every card that my Cloudian monster just destroyed. In case math's not your strong point, that's 1500 life points!" Adrian explained as Zane unflinchingly had his life points reduced to 1200. "Now I'm afraid I've got no choice but to set one more card facedown and end my turn." Adrian concluded. "Then let the destruction commence." Zane stated as he drew a card. "I summon Exploder Dragon!" Zane called out as his bomb-wielding dragon emerged with 1000 attack and 0 defense. "Now Exploder Dragon, destroy his Nimbusman once and for all!" Zane shouted as his dragon flew like a kamikaze towards Adrian's monster. "But Nimbusman can't be destroyed in battle." Adrian protested. "Normally that is so, but due to Exploder Dragon's special ability, both of our monsters are destroyed and the battle damage is zero." Zane explained as both of the monsters were destroyed in an explosion.

"Now I activate the spell card Quick Summon to normal summon another monster to the field. Come forth, Cyberdark Keel!" Zane called out as his dark machine serpent emerged with 800 attack and defense. "And don't forget, Cyberdark Keel can absorb a monster from my graveyard as well." Zane reminded as his monster was equipped with the previously destroyed Hunter Dragon, raising its attack points to 2500. "Now it's time for you to suffer, Adrian. Cyberdark Keel, attack his life points directly." Zane commanded coldly. "Since you destroyed one of my Cloudian monsters this turn, I can activate my Raging Cloudian trap card to bring him back, making it the new target for your attack." Adrian countered as his Nimbusman returned with 1000 attack and defense. Nevertheless however, Zane's attack hit the cloud man, reducing Adrian's life points to 1050. "Your pathetic cloud monsters won't be able to protect you forever, Adrian. And when they fail you, you'll know the anguish of defeat!" Zane concluded his turn dramatically as Adrian stood panting from the last attack.


	39. Chapter 39: Victory At All Costs

Chapter 39- Victory At All Costs

"Yea, well it's not over yet, Zane." Adrian stated as he caught his breath again and drew a card. "And since it's my turn, here comes the rain again, falling from the stars to give each monster a fog counter. And don't forget, my Cloudian- Nimbusman gains 500 attack points for each one on the field, for a grand total of 3000 attack points!" Adrian explained as it rained on the field for a moment and Nimbusman's attack points rose to 3000. "But before the storm blows over, I'll summon my Cloudian- Turbulence!" Adrian called out as his tornado-looking cloud monster emerged with 800 attack and 0 defense and a fog counter all ready. "Now it's time to bring the storm to you. Cloudian Nimbusman, attack Cyberdark Keel!" Adrian commanded as his cloud man took flight. "Nice try, but since my Cyberdark Keel has an equip monster, that monster is destroyed instead." Zane pointed out. "That may be, but you still take life point damage." Adrian added as his monster vaporized the equipped monster, reducing Cyberdark Keel's attack points back to their original 800 and Zane's life points to 700.

"Now remain seated, because you're just in for a little turbulence. Attack Cyberdark Keel!" Adrian added as his second Cloudian monster threw a tornado blast at Zane's monster. "I'll bet you're wondering why I decided to attack even though both of our monsters have equal attack points." Adrian suggested. "Not really, I figured that your monster has a special ability." Zane replied emotionlessly. "That's precisely right. Even though our monsters have the same amount of attack points, mine can't be destroyed in battle. But since yours can, I guess we'll see who can weather through this." Adrian explained as Zane's dark machine was destroyed. "But don't forget that now your monster loses 500 attack points since there's one less fog counter on the field." Zane reminded as Nimbusman's attack points dropped to 2500.

"That's ok, because I'm about to finish this duel up right here and now. I activate one last spell card: Exploder Cloud! Now by sacrificing one monster on my side of the field, I can inflict damage equal to its attack points directly to your life points. So for my final forecast, I'd say you're in for a whole lot of Cloudian- Nimbusman. It's over!" Adrian explained as his cloud monster exploded and the powerful winds headed straight for Zane. "Did you honestly think you could defeat me that easily? I activate my trap card Fusion Guard! By sending a fusion monster from my deck to the graveyard I can negate all of that effect damage. So I'll discard my Cyber End Dragon in order to protect my life points." Zane explained as he discarded the monster and was spared.

"But Cyber End Dragon was your favorite monster! Why would you just discard it like that?" Adrian asked slightly shocked as his turn ended with one, last facedown card. "Because nothing can get in the way of my victory. Every card is just a tool for me to achieve that goal." Zane replied coldly as he drew a card. "And with that in mind, I summon Infernal Dragon to the field!" Zane called as his vicious dark dragon emerged with 2000 attack and 0 defense. "On the subject of attaining victory, it's fitting that that's exactly what I'm about to do. Infernal Dragon, attack Cloudian- Turbulence!" Zane commanded maliciously as his dragon took flight and headed straight towards Adrian's monster. "Your monster might not be able to be destroyed in battle, but your life points are still forfeit!" Zane laughed darkly.

"That may be, but I still have this facedown trap card: Healing Fog! By removing all fog counters on the field, I gain 300 life points for each one. And since there are two on the field, I gain 600 life points, just enough for me to survive." Adrian explained as his life points rose to 1650. "Yes, but you still feel the pain!" Zane added as his dragon's spiked tail ripped through the cloud monster, striking Adrian, and reducing his life points to 450. Suddenly, however, Zane's own dragon then self-destructed. "Wait, what happened to your monster?" Adrian asked as he recoiled from the last attack. "Due to the special ability of Infernal Dragon, it's automatically destroyed after it attacks. But that doesn't matter, my victory is still assured!" Zane explained. "I switch Cyberdark Horn to defense mode and set one card facedown. That's all for now, until you're able to feel more pain next turn!" Zane then concluded his turn coldly. "Zane, I think it's safe to say that you totally lost it. But I'm gonna help you find it again." Adrian stated as he drew a card.

"Remember that Cloudian Squall is still on the field, so each of our monsters gain one fog counter." Adrian reminded as a light shower momentarily took over the field. "What purpose does that serve you now that Cloudian- Nimbusman is gone?" Zane asked emotionlessly. "Nimbusman wasn't the only one with a special ability, my Cloudian- Turbulence has one too. By removing one fog counter from it, I can special summon Cloudian- Smoke Ball directly to the field from my deck." Adrian explained as a tiny little cloud baby emerged with 200 attack and 600 defense. "That monster is the most pathetic of yours yet. It's completely useless against the power of the Underworld Deck." Zane remarked. "To an extent, I actually agree with you. That's why I'm not planning on attacking with these monsters, but I am going to sacrifice both my Cloudian- Turbulence and Cloudian- Smoke Ball in order to summon my strongest monster, Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon!" Adrian called as his two cloud monsters were swept into a large tornado. From the tornado then appeared an eye, signaling that Eye of the Typhoon had emerged with 3000 attack and 1000 defense.

"Impressed yet? Well you should be because this one last storm is going to finish you off. Even though your monster is in defense mode, when Eye of the Typhoon attacks, it switches the battle position of all of your monsters. And once it's in attack mode, the rest of your life points will follow it to the graveyard. It's over Zane! Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon attack Cyberdark Horn and end this madness!" Adrian called as his monster unleashed an incredible whirlwind that switched Zane's monster into attack mode. "Any last words?" Adrian asked as the typhoon ensued. "Yes. This duel's isn't ending unless it's in my victory! I activate my trap card Power Wall!" Zane called out as his trap flipped up. "Now for every card I discard from the top of my deck, your battle damage is reduced by 100. And I'm tossing out 30 cards in my deck to negate your attack!" Zane explained as he reached for his deck and tossed most of the cards all over the floor. At once, Adrian's attack was halted, but at a high price. "Why would you do that, Zane? You tossed out almost your entire deck as if it were garbage. Why, Zane?" Adrian asked in disbelief. "I told you nothing gets in the way of my victory. And everyone and everything that does is worthless." Zane responded coldly and maliciously. "What have you done, Zane? What are you now?" Adrian lamented as his turn came to an end.

Meanwhile…

"Hey, James, Kristiann, you awake?" A female voice asked as someone knocked on the door to James and Kristiann's room. "Well we are now." James replied tiredly as he opened the door to his room revealing a tired, just-awaken James and Kristiann on one side and a fully dressed Becca and Echo on the other. "Becca? Echo? What's up? Is everything alright?" Kristiann asked a little concerned. "Well Zane left just a little while ago to go for a walk, but he hasn't come back in a while." Becca stated. "The same goes for Adrian. He left to go find me something to drink, but he hasn't come back in a while either. We were just a little concerned about them and about to go look for them, when Becca and I ran into each other in this hallway." Echo added. "Yea, so we started down the hall, but heard some loud noises, almost like a duel. We just got a little scared and decided to wake you two up just in case something was going on." Becca continued.

"Well gee thanks." Kristiann stated flatly. "A duel? I wonder what's going on. Maybe Zane and Adrian decided to duel each other?" James offered. "Yea, but why would they want to duel? I think something bad is going on." Echo replied, looking a little concerned. "Well I guess it's worth checking out. Kristiann and I will get changed real quick, then we'll all go see what's really going on." James decided.

Back at the duel…

"If you're done whimpering, then it's my move." Zane stated coldly as he drew a card. "Wait a second, Zane. Since you discarded almost your entire deck, you won't be able to draw a card next turn and I'll win the duel! So all I have to do is survive this round and I win." Adrian pointed out. "Yes, but that won't be happening. There may be only one card left, but it's exactly the one I need to claim ultimate victory and make you suffer. I activate Cyberdark Impact!" Zane called out dramatically as he held up the spell card in his hand. "It's over Adrian! By returning Cyberdark Horn, Cyberdark Keel, and Cyberdark Edge from my field and graveyard to my deck I can summon Cyberdark Dragon to the field! Feel the full force of the Underworld Deck!" Zane called out as his new, dark mechanical monstrosity emerged with an evil roar and 1000 attack and defense points.

"And Cyberdark Dragon has a special ability: when it's summoned to the field, I can equip it with one dragon monster from my graveyard, namely Infernal Dragon, giving it an extra 2000 attack points." Zane explained as his monster grabbed on to the dragon and its attack points rose to 3000. "But now our monsters have equal attack points. I guess that was all for nothing, Zane. Good duel." Adrian sighed. "Not quite! Cyberdark Dragon also has another special ability, it gains 100 attack points for every card in my graveyard." Zane revealed with a dark smile. "Oh no, since you just discarded your entire deck…" Adrian exclaimed in realization. "That's right, Cyberdark Dragon gains all those attack points." Zane finished as his monster's attack points rose to 6700.

At this point, the main doors at the top of the stairs in the room burst open and James, Kristiann, Becca, and Echo dashed in. "Looks like we have some company." Shroud pointed out nonchalantly. "They are dueling!" James pointed out the obvious. "Zane, what's going on? And what kind of monster is that?" Becca asked after she saw the mechanical dark dragon under Zane's command. "And who are you?" Kristiann asked Shroud. "Why don't we let Mr. Truesdale here finish his duel and then we can talk." Shroud offered.

"Yes, you're just in time to witness Adrian's total annihilation. Cyberdark Dragon, attack Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon and end this duel! Make him suffer with dark cyber stream!" Zane commanded as his monster unleashed a burst stream of dark energy that struck Adrian's monster, went right through it, and hit Adrian, causing him to scream as his life points were reducing to a final 0.


	40. Chapter 40: Mission Maybe Possible

Chapter 40- Mission Maybe Possible

"Adrian!" Echo cried out as she ran over to where the duelist was falling. "Adrian, are you ok?" Echo asked the obviously injured young man as she held him up before he hit the ground. "Echo? It's Zane… he's not himself." Adrian got out through gasps of pain. "Zane? What happened to him?" Echo asked. "Isn't it obvious? Zane isn't quite himself. You saw how he viciously used Cyberdark Dragon to finish the duel with way more attack points or enthusiasm than necessary. No, Zane doesn't seem like himself at all." Kristiann pointed out. "Zane, what's happened to you? What's going on?" Becca asked desperately. "I think I know. It's that guy's doing!" James suggested as he pointed to the smiling figure of Shroud.

"You! Who are you and what did you do to Zane?" Becca shouted at the man. "Me? Why I didn't do a thing. I just helped Zane realize the truth about dueling and victory. But that was all inside him to begin with." Shroud simply chuckled. "Cut the act… before our duel you did something on that computer…" Adrian revealed, much to Shroud's dismay. "Well perhaps I gave a helping hand, but I couldn't have done it without Mr. Truesdale's inner darkness already." Shroud responded as his computer gave a little blip. "You see, everyone, this here computer device is very special. It can look into the hearts and minds of anyone I choose and find darkness in their past, present, or future. Then it brings that out into the open and it takes over the person. So in a way, yes, I guess you could say I did do something." Shroud explained as he walked over to his computer. "And right now, my device is picking up some more dark readings. Could they be from you, Mr. Gecko? I see there may have been some dark spots in your past. Or perhaps just desire for power like Mr. Truesdale here?" Shroud stated mockingly.

"Leave Adrian out of this! He's already suffered enough!" Echo shouted defensively. "Relax, the reading I'm picking up is much larger than your little boyfriend could contain. No, I'm sensing something almost pure evil itself. Could it be from… Mr. Alvarez here?" Shroud asked as he looked right at James. "Me? What have I done?" James asked, a little panicky. "Oh I'm picking up some very dark energies from you, but not necessarily from your past… but from your future. I wonder what's going to happen, don't you?" Shroud asked as he tapped a few keys. "This wasn't part of any agreement, Shroud. None of these duelists concern you at all. They're simply more opponents for me to crush." Zane told the man assertively. "On the contrary, Mr. Truesdale, darkness is always my business." Shroud responded without looking up from the computer.

"Zane! Enough of this! If you want to duel then maybe I can pick up where Adrian left off and free you from this!" Becca shouted challengingly as she rose up her duel disk arm. "Yea, and we'll help!" James added. "I'm afraid you won't be helping anyone but me, Mr. Alvarez. It wasn't part of my original plan, but I simply can't let your darkness elude me. So prepare to feel exactly what Mr. Truesdale felt." Shroud stated ominously as he hit a few more keys on his computer. "No, wait!" Kristiann shouted, but it was too late as a dark aura appeared beneath James's feet and encircled him. Again, James screamed as the aura consumed him and darkness took over.

Meanwhile…

"Well all ready for bed." Lance said to himself as he stretched and walked out of the bathroom. "Jeez, it was really stupid for Pegasus to put only one bed in these rooms, but oh well. I guess it's the floor for you, Xime." Lance told his buddy as he lay down in bed and Xime sat on a chair near the table in the room. "Do you always have to be so rude, Lance? Sleep on the floor? Not a chance!" Xime protested as he stood up. "Why not, I already called the bed and there's no way you're getting in here with me!" Lance snapped back. "I really don't mean to start a war, but I'm definitely not sleeping on the floor!" Xime shouted back.

"Well then you can… wait do you hear something?" Lance asked as he was quiet and tried to listen better. "I can't hear anything with you being so loud, but now that you mention it, I think there's a crowd." Xime agreed as he too listened harder. "Yea, you're right, it sounds like all those losers in this tournament too. I wonder what they're up to." Lance stated. "Probably something cool, I haven't a doubt. Do you think we should go check it out?" Xime asked his friend. "Yea, actually, that might not be a bad idea." Lance agreed as the two got changed from their pajamas and started out the door.

By the time they got into the hallway, James, Kristiann, Becca, and Echo were already just walking out of the hallway into the main room where Zane was. "Even though it's not day, I think they all went out that way." Xime stated as he pointed to the just closing door. "Yea, I wonder what they're all going after." Lance pondered aloud. "It may be too late for school, but I heard something about a duel." Xime told Lance. "School? That didn't make any sense. But whatever, yea there might be a duel or something, but I have an idea..." Lance stated as he crept his way over to a door on the opposite end of the hallway as the one that led to the main room. "I don't know what we would find, but what exactly do you have in mind?" Xime asked as he followed suit.

"I think that while everyone else is distracted by whatever-it-is, we're free to sneak around as we please." Lance suggested as the two stood at the doorway. "Sneak around like a cat? Why exactly would we do that?" Xime asked, slightly confused. "Why? Come on, Xime, this is Pegasus's castle! The very creator of Duel Monsters lives in this very mansion. Don't you think there's might be some rare cards lying around the place?" Lance pointed out with a grin. "Oh, I think I'm starting to see your point, there might be some good stuff in this joint." Xime agreed as he too smiled. "Exactly, so let's say we go find some rare cards!" Lance exclaimed as he and Xime went through the doorway in front of them.

The hallway now in front of them was not as elaborately decorated as the previous one, but was still pretty nice. All of the lights were out, but Lance and Xime could still see well enough and saw doors on both sides of the hallway. Without a word, but with some sneaky giggling, Lance and Xime stealthily worked their way down the hall and into a random door. In this room, was yet another dark hallway with more doors on the two walls. "Forgive me if I'm not in a craze, but this place down here is like a maze." Xime pointed out as the two skulked down this hallway. "Yea, of course it is, that's how they hide all the rare cards. Now stick with me, I think I found something." Lance stated as he looked more closely at a sign on one of the doors. "'Duel at your own risk.'" Lance read the sign. "Oh, of course, this must be the place where all the rare cards are! That's why it says 'duel at your own risk,' because there's some super powerful cards inside!" Lance exclaimed happily. "I doubt it, but you could be right. Then let's go get some cards tonight!" Xime shared the enthusiasm.

The two turned and grinned at each other and then Lance opened the door and went inside. "I don't know why, I should be shocked, but don't you think they'd keep this door locked?" Xime asked as the two strode on in. "Yea, someone probably just forgot to lock it. Jeez, I can't see a thing is there a light switch somewhere?" Lance asked no one in particular as he fumbled against a wall for a switch and eventually found one, flooding the room in dim light. "Jeez, so much for lots of light. Anyways, what do we have here?" Lance asked as he looked around the room. The room was bare except for a tunnel-like hallway that led deeper into the room. "Who the heck would put a creepy hallway in a room like this? It's probably a trap to keep away people like us. Anyways, let's go." Lance called as he and Xime trekked into the tunnel. After only a few feet, they reached a fork in the path in which two different tunnel-hallways. At the end of each one had a door and each tunnel-hallway had a plaque with an inscription on it over the archway.

"'The end is not the end, but a new beginning.' That sounds pretty ominous." Lance stated after he read the inscription on the top of the left hallway. "'Let's rock and roll together.' That's sounds ambiguous in any weather." Xime added after he read the inscription on the top of the right hallway. "So, which way do we go?" Lance asked. "In the path there is a cleft, so I think we should go left." Xime stated his opinion. "No way, man, we should definitely go right. See it says 'rock and roll' on top. That's definitely a good sign!" Lance objected. "Well if we can't decide on either of these doors, then we should settle this with a game of rock-paper-scissors." Xime suggested. "That rhyme was a bit of a stretch, but you're on!" Lance agreed as the two began their game. When all was done, Xime had chosen paper, while Lance had chosen scissors. "Ha, there you have it, I won! So let's hit that right door!" Lance finalized as the two headed right to the door and opened it.

When they stepped inside, the door disappeared behind them and Lance and Xime found themselves standing in the middle of a rocky terrain. They were outside and it was nighttime, but there was enough light from the moon and stars and nearby streetlights to determine the rocky landscape. "What? Where are we?" Lance asked shocked after the door vanished. "I'm not sure if we've gone very far, but I have no idea as to where we are." Xime admitted. "Where are you? You're in our world now!" A female voice called out as a huge rock was thrown towards Lance and Xime. "Hey, what gives!" Lance exclaimed as the boulder hit the ground just in front of them and broke. Just then, a teenage girl floated up on a flying rock and hovered above their heads. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a long-sleeved black shirt with a yellow T on it as well as yellow shorts and boots. Around her waist was a brown belt and on her left arm was a standard Kaiba Corp duel disk. "Hehe, yea and now we're gonna rock you, get it?" A male voice added with a laugh as a green armadillo rolled over the hill and landed on the ground. Upon hitting the ground, the armadillo transformed into a teenage boy with green skin, blue eyes, pointy ears, and a black and purple outfit. He too wore a duel disk on his left arm, the same as the girl's.

"Good one, Beast Boy." The girl complimented with a giggle as she stepped off the rock and onto the ground, level with the rest of them. "Disappearing doors? Floating rocks? Armadillos turning into people? Will someone tell me just what's going on around here?" Lance asked exasperated. "Well long story short, you're in our domain now, so naturally we're gonna duel. I'm Terra by the way." The girl explained. "Oh yea, and I'm Beast Boy, but I'm sure you figured that one out." The green-skinned boy introduced with a laugh. "This whole thing doesn't seem too lame, but if it's a duel that you want, then I'm game." Xime responded. "Lame? This is just really bizarre! And totally random! I mean what, are we being used as comic relief again?" Lance protested. "If you want comic relief, then you've come to the right place. I'm a comic, right?" Beast Boy asked Terra. "Of course." Terra replied with a giggle.

"Well whatever then, comic relief or not, if you wanna duel, then let's get down right here and now!" Lance challenged as he activated his duel disk. "Sounds good to me. It'll be Beast Boy and I versus you two." Terra confirmed as she activated her duel disk. "I hope you're ready to face our brawn, cause Lance and I will take you on." Xime stated challengingly as he too activated his duel disk. "Alrighty then, let's get our games on. That's even lame when I say it." Beast Boy called out with a chuckle as he also activated his duel disk. Both team's life points were set at 8000 and all four duelists drew their opening hands. "Let's duel!" They all shouted at the same time, signaling the beginning of the bout.

Meanwhile…

"James! Are you ok?" Kristiann exclaimed as the dark aura around her boyfriend faded. "Ok? Oh, I'm better than ok. In fact, I feel more powerful than ever!" James replied in a much darker voice. Not only did James's voice change, but his outfit and duel disk were different too; he now wore all black pants and shoes as well as a black shirt with a red design pattern on it. He also wore a black cape-like trench coat and held an all black Chaos duel disk on his arm. Even James's hair was now pitch black and straight and his eyes held a ting of red to them. "Excellent, his transformation into Yami James is now complete." Shroud revealed proudly. "Not you too!" Becca gasped. "Why yes, me too. In fact to show my new power, I think we should duel. Then I can release my full darkness on all of you." Yami James stated. "James, I don't know what's happened to you, or Zane, but whatever he did to you, I'm going to bring you back. If you want to duel, then I'll take you on and rescue you from the shadows." Kristiann stated with determination. "Wait, Kristiann, there's no way you can succeed on your own. Even Adrian wasn't strong enough. So I'll duel with you and together we'll bring them both back." Becca added with her own determination.

"A tag duel? No, I work alone. Then victory alone will be mine." Zane said emotionlessly. "Oh come on, Zane. We can crush them together. And then I can crush you. But for now, let's even the score a bit." Yami urged. "…fine." Zane gave in after a moment's pause. "Well this should be interesting." Shroud said nonchalantly to himself. "James, Zane, we're bringing you back from the shadows. It ends here and now." Kristiann stated as she and Becca activated their duel disks. Yami and Zane followed suit as both team's life points were set to 8000 and all four drew their opening hands. "Good luck." Echo whispered to herself as she held the unconscious Adrian on the sidelines. "Let's duel!" All four shouted at the same time as the epic duel between light and dark began.


	41. Chapter 41: The Name of the Pain

Chapter 41- The Name of the Pain

"I'll start off this duel and plunge all of you into darkness." Yami James stated with an evil chuckle as he drew a card. "And I'll begin by summoning my Mystic Tomato in attack mode!" Yami called out as his evil-looking tomato emerged with 1400 attack and 1100 defense. "Well that's not too intimidating." Kristiann rolled her eyes. "Just you wait. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Yami concluded with an evil look. "Whew, I was expecting something a lot worse." Kristiann sighed. "I wouldn't let you're guard down just yet, the worst is still very yet to come." Yami responded ominously. "We'll see about that." Kristiann replied as she drew a card. "I know the real James is in there somewhere and I'm going to bring him out. In other words, I'm not holding anything back. I summon Different Dimension Assailant in attack mode!" Kristiann called out as her female warrior emerged with 1700 attack and 1600 defense.

"Now, Assailant, slice and dice his Mystic Tomato with dimensional slash!" Kristiann called as her warrior ran forward and cleaved Yami's monster with her huge blade, destroying it and reducing the evil team's life points to 7700. "And you think I'm holding anything back either? No, my dear, I'm going to obliterate you both with the power of shadows. When my Mystic Tomato is sent to the graveyard, I can summon another dark monster right from my deck as long as it has 1500 attack points or less. And I've got just the perfect one: my Dark Marauding Captain!" Yami called as his evil warrior emerged with 1200 attack and 400 defense. "Wait, doesn't James have a regular Marauding Captain card?" Becca asked. "Why yes, but you forget, I'm not James. I am his perfect antithesis. I am all of the sweet darkness in James's heart manifested in a physical form. And as such, my deck is the dark answer to his as well. But I digress. My Dark Marauding Captain has a special ability that you might wish to know about: When it's special summoned to the field, I can special summon another monster directly from my hand. And I choose to summon Hardened Armed Dragon!" Yami called out as his skeletal dragon emerged with 1500 attack and 800 defense. "There's nothing left I can do. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded with a sigh.

"James, I don't know how it ever came to this, but I promise, we'll get you back." Kristiann told him, to which Yami just replied with a scoff. "If you're done feeling sorry for yourself, then allow me to continue this duel." Zane cut in coldly as he drew a card. "I don't care about your little sob stories, I only care about victory! And that's what I'm claiming now. I summon Cyberdark Edge!" Zane called as his winged dark machine emerged with 800 attack and defense. "Now Cyberdark Edge, attack Kristiann's life points directly!" Zane commanded. "But wait, Kristiann still has a monster. You can't attack directly!" Becca objected. "Obviously you don't know about Cyberdark Edge's special ability. By halving its attack points, I can attack my opponent's life points directly." Zane explained as his monster beat its wings and sent a shock wave of wind that struck Kristiann and reduced the good team's life points to 7600.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn." Zane concluded without further action. "Zane, James isn't the only one with a dark personality, you've completely changed too." Becca told him. "Of course I've changed, but it's all for the sake of victory. I've seen the truth about dueling and life. It's about enduring anguish and making the weaker suffer and above all, attaining victory!" Zane replied dramatically. "You used to be so much better Zane. What good is winning if you lose your heart in the process? But I know this isn't the real you and when I beat you here, I'll get the old Zane back." Becca stated with determination as she drew a card. "Hmm, all of this talk about undoing my dark designs is getting quite old." Shroud pointed out from the sidelines. "You want to see old? Then here's a card for you. I summon Cyber Esper in attack mode!" Becca called as her mannequin machine emerged with 1200 attack and 1800 defense. "Do you remember this card, Zane? You gave it to me earlier this night because you said it would be good for my deck. We used to be a team, but now the very card you gave me will help me defeat you. But first I equip my monster with one of my own spell cards: Heart of Clear Water!" Becca explained as her monster glowed with a thin, light red aura. "This makes my monster invulnerable in battle and by being targeted by card effects. But the main point is that now, I have a combination of my card and yours and as a team, they're gonna take out your Underworld Deck. Cyber Esper, attack Cyberdark Edge!" Becca commanded as her monster flew up and came down, slashing Zane's monster on the way, destroying it and reducing his life points to 7300.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn. I hope that helped, Zane." Becca concluded her turn. "Then allow me to interrupt your little break up duel and demonstrate my power." Yami stated coldly as he drew a card. "Hold on a sec! Since you just drew a card, the special effect of my Cyber Esper activates and I get to see what that card is." Becca explained as Yami revealed to everyone the card he just drew. "That's fine. In case you can't tell, it's the Book of Moon spell card. But I'll save that for later. For now, you're in for something that you won't quite like." Yami stated ominously as he placed the card into his hand and picked out another. "I sacrifice both Dark Marauding Captain and Hardened Armed Dragon in order to summon a monster that haunts all of your nightmares." Yami called as both his monsters disappeared in a dark whirlwind.

"I summon Yubel!" Yami called dramatically as the powerful fiend monster emerged with 0 attack and defense. "Not her!" Echo gasped from the sidelines as Adrian came around. "What's going on…Yubel?" Adrian also gasped as he looked at the playing field. "So you have that card in your deck. Perhaps I underestimated you." Zane stated flatly to his temporary dueling partner. "Why yes, I do have that card. We go way back, Yubel and I. The pain… we've both faced it. And soon I'm going to unload all of that pain onto you. But that's all in due time. I set one more card facedown and end my turn." Yami concluded with a dark grin.

"The only pain that's going to be felt here is yours." Kristiann stated flatly as she drew a card. "I summon Gemini Elf in attack mode!" Kristiann called out as her elf twins emerged with 1900 attack and 900 defense. "I don't know what the big deal is about your monster, but with no attack points, she won't last very long. Gemini Elf, attack Yubel!" Kristiann called as her monster launched an orb of magical energy at Yami's monster. "I'm glad you did that. Now you can feel all the pain you've caused me." Yami stated with a cold, dark smile. As the orb of magic almost hit Yubel, a wall of dark energy rose up and blocked the attack. "What happened to my attack?" Kristiann asked in shocked confusion. "When Yubel is attacked, I don't take any battle damage and she isn't destroyed in battle. Instead you take all of the damage that I would've." Yami explained as the same wall of dark energy emerged right at Kristiann's feet, causing her to flinch in pain and reducing her life points to 5700.

"That wasn't bad, but I still have another attack. Only now that I know about your monster's effect, I'm going after Zane instead. Different Dimension Assailant, attack Cyberdark Edge!" Kristiann commanded as her warrior unsheathed its weapon and prepared for battle. "I'm afraid you have no choice but to attack me. I activate my trap card Staunch Defender! Now your attack is redirected right to my monster. Which you know of course, the real brunt of the attack is redirected right back at you!" Yami countered as Kristiann's warrior headed for Yubel instead. Just like before, a wall of shadow energy absorbed the attack and reappeared around Kristiann, causing her to scream in pain and reducing her life points further to 4000. "What's the matter, my dear? You don't like it? You know, it's much easier to embrace the pain. Then you can just submit to me without too much of it." Yami laughed evilly and mockingly. "James, I don't know you anymore. You've become something horrible, but like I said, I'll set you free. I end my turn." Kristiann concluded her turn.

Meanwhile…

"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Terra asked rhetorically as she drew a card. "I'll start us off by summoning my Mine Golem to the field in defense mode." Terra called out as her rock giant emerged with 1000 attack and 1900 defense. "Then I'll set two cards facedown and call it a turn." Terra concluded. "You call that a turn? Well then wait 'till you see what I have in store." Lance remarked as he drew a card. "Your monster may have rock hard defense, but I'm gonna roll right over it with powerful offense. I summon Doomcaliber Knight!" Lance called as his fiend knight emerged with 1900 attack and 1800 defense. "I'm afraid you won't be rolling anywhere because I have a trap. I activate Trap Hole and since you just summoned a monster with more than 1000 attack points, it's automatically destroyed." Terra explained as a hole opened up in the ground, swallowing up Lance's monster.

"Have a nice trip see you next fall, haha!" Beast Boy laughed to which Terra giggled. "I don't if they've got good game, but one thing's for sure, their jokes are lame!" Xime exclaimed and Lance rolled his head. "Ah whatever, we'll pull through. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Lance admitted. "Wait, before you do that, I have another trap I can activate now. It's called Rock Bombardment and it lets me send one rock monster from my deck to the graveyard and then hit you for 500 points of damage." Terra explained as she sent her Stone Statue of the Aztecs to the graveyard. Suddenly then, a big rock shot out of Terra's duel disk and hit Lance, reducing his life points to 7500.

"Ouch, ok, jeez I end my turn." Lance concluded finally. "Oh wait, it's my turn then. Alright!" Beast Boy exclaimed happily as he drew a card. "And for my move, I summon Des Kangaroo in attack mode!" Beast Boy called out as his boxing glove-armed kangaroo emerged with 1500 attack and 1700 defense. "And since you just happen to be wide open, Des Kangaroo, attack the spiky-haired guy's life points directly!" Beast Boy commanded as his kangaroo bounced forward and bopped Lance in the face, reducing his life points to 6000. "That's all I think… ah maybe a facedown. Alright, your move." Beast Boy concluded.

"Man we sure are getting beat around, but this next move will put us back in bound." Xime stated as he drew a card. "This monster's strong, I hope you'll agree. I summon the Six Samurai- Nisashi!" Xime called as his wind samurai emerged with 1400 attack and 700 defense. "One monster is great, but it's better with two, with Double Summon I can add Six Samurai- Irou!" Xime added as his spell card let him summon a second warrior, this one with 1700 attack and 1200 defense. "Now Irou push him back and on his Des Kangaroo, attack!" Xime commanded as his warrior jumped forward. "Obviously you don't know about my monster's special ability. When a monster with attack points equal or less than Des Kangaroo's defense points attacks, it's automatically destroyed. See ya!" Beast Boy explained as Xime's warrior vanished.

"But there's more where that came from. I also activate my trap card Roar of the Wild! With this card I can special summon a beast type monster from my hand. And I choose Gazelle the King of Mystical Beasts!" Beast Boy called as his creature emerged with 1500 attack and 1200 defense. "Oh well that's not too bad." Lance sighed. "Yea that's true. But I can also destroy one of your monsters and do direct damage equal to that monster's attack points. That's pretty bad." Beast Boy added mockingly as Xime's second samurai exploded and blasted Xime in the process, reducing his life points to 4600. "I end my turn, but we're getting beat. With almost half our life points gone we risk defeat!" Xime exclaimed as he concluded his turn. "Yea, I'll say! We better kick it up a notch or they're gonna totally wipe the floor with us!" Lance agreed.

Meanwhile…

"I enjoy watching anguish as much as the next person, but this duel isn't about you, it's about my victory." Zane stated as he drew a card. "Before you go any further, the effect of my Cyber Esper kicks in and I get to look at the card you just drew." Becca reminded. "Enough of this, your monster is becoming quite the nuisance. I activate my other facedown card Book of Moon. You probably should have seen this coming, but in case you're too slow, this card automatically switches your monster facedown and in defense mode." Yami countered as Becca's monster simply became a facedown card on the field. "But that means that its equip spell is destroyed!" Becca exclaimed as her Heart of Clear Water spell shattered. "Oh well. I'll show you the card I just drew anyways. It's called Graceful Charity and lets me draw three cards as long as I then discard two." Zane explained as he took the appropriate action.

"Now I summon Cyberdark Horn in attack mode!" Zane called as his mechanical monstrosity emerged with 800 attack and defense. "When Cyberdark Horn is summoned to the field, it can absorb the attack points of one dragon monster from my graveyard." Zane explained. "But you don't have any dragon monsters in your graveyard." Kristiann pointed out. "I just sent one there from the effects of Graceful Charity. Now Cyberdark Horn can absorb the attack points of Hunter Dragon." Zane added as his monster was equipped with the dark dragon and its attack points rose to 2500. "Then I activate my facedown card Call of the Haunted to bring back Cyberdark Edge." Zane continued as his dark machine emerged with 800 attack and defense. "Now Cyberdark Horn, attack Becca's facedown Cyber Esper!" Zane commanded as his monster shot four blasts of dark energy from its maws, striking Becca's monster and reducing her life points to 3300. "Wait, why did my life points go down? My monster was in defense mode." Becca questioned. "That's because my monster still deals life points damage even though your monster was in defense mode." Zane explained.

"And now I'll reduce them further. Cyberdark Edge, attack her directly!" Zane commanded as his second monster prepared to attack. "Not so fast! I activate my trap card Plot Twist! With this card, I can special summon a normal monster right from my hand before your attack hits. And I choose this monster: Flora Queen Isis!" Becca called as her queen of plants emerged with 2650 attack and 1200 defense. "And with her on the field, your attack is halted." Becca stood firm as Zane's attack came to a premature end. "Not bad. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Zane concluded. "Then allow me to finish what I started." Becca stated as she drew a card.

"And I activate the spell card Wave-Motion Cannon!" Becca called as a huge blaster cannon emerged onto the field near Becca. "It may just look impressive now, but believe me, it's got some bite to it. But since I can't use it 'till later, I'll use what attacks I can now. Flora Queen Isis, attack Cyberdark Horn and show him who's boss!" Becca called as her monster shot a whip of thorns at Zane's monster, striking it head on. "Since Cyberdark Horn had an equip monster, it doesn't get destroyed, only Hunter Dragon does." Zane explained as his monster's attack points dropped back to their original 800. "Yes, but you still lose life points." Becca added as Zane's life points dropped to 7150. "But there's more where that came from Zane. I activate the spell card Second Razor Wing! This lets me deal direct damage to you equal to my monster's attack points. So look out, 'cause here it comes again!" Becca added as Zane was hit with extra damage, reducing his life points to 4500. "No reaction at all?" Becca asked a little discouraged as Zane just stood there unflinchingly. "Well whatever. I end my turn." Becca concluded.

"Then let the pain continue." Yami stated darkly as he drew a card. "Indeed now it's time for everyone to suffer immensely. I activate the spell card Red Star Storm! Now by sending three monsters from my deck to the graveyard, the field will rain with blood-red meteors, causing 1000 points of damage to each team. Meteor Black Dragon will appropriately lead the shower along with Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Now, let the sky fall as you all feel the pain!" Yami exclaimed madly as the whole room got dark and stars appeared near the ceiling. Then some of the stars turned red and a meteor shower fell upon the area.

As blazing shooting stars hit all around the field, a falling meteor hit Kristiann, Becca, Zane, and even Yami himself, causing the good team's life points to drop to 2300 and the evil team's life points to 3500. "Aha, did you all enjoy that, the pain of a thousand stars?" Yami asked evilly. "Not exactly. Wait a minute, didn't you say you needed to discard three monsters? How come you only discarded two then?" Kristiann questioned. "Because my third monster isn't going to the graveyard. When this monster is discarded from my deck, I can automatically special summon it instead. So give a warm welcome to Palkia- The Sovereign of Space!" Yami called out dramatically as his spatial deity emerged from the darkness of the space above with 2900 attack and 2500 defense. "Jeez, that's a strong monster!" Becca pointed out as the room returned to normal. "You don't know the half of it. But very soon you will; you'll all know true and everlasting pain!" Yami laughed manically.


	42. Chapter 42: Dark Side of the Duel

Chapter 42- Dark Side of the Duel

"Now that I have the unstoppable power of Palkia on my side, this duel, and your very lives are forfeit!" Yami laughed as his space dragon let out a roar. "But just to make sure, I summon Mirage Dragon to the field to finish you both off." Yami added as his menacing dragon of light emerged with 1600 attack and 600 defense. "And now it's time to activate Pakia's special ability. By giving up 500 of my life points, I can attack all of your monsters at the same time." Yami explained as his life points dropped to 3000. "Now Palkia- The Sovereign of Space, annihilate all of them and make them suffer!" Yami commanded as his dragon charged up a massive energy blast in his arm. Then, with tremendous force, it threw the gathered energy as a shock wave at Kristiann's and Becca's entire field.

"Not so fast, Yami! You may have built up a strong force, but I can still protect us. I activate…" Kristiann began but was cut off by evil laughter. "If you plan on countering me with a trap card, you're out of luck! Because as long as Mirage Dragon is on my side of the field, you can't activate any trap cards during my battle phase." Yami explained. "It's a good thing I have a spell card then. I activate my facedown card Angelic Ambush! Now by discarding a fairy monster from my deck to the graveyard, I can destroy some of your monsters, one for every tribute my monster would cost to summon it. And guess what? I'm discarding my Wingweaver monster, meaning that I can destroy two of your monsters." Kristiann explained with a victorious grin. "You fool! Yubel can't be destroyed by card effects." Yami pointed out. "Then I guess I'll destroy your other two monsters, Palkia and Mirage Dragon. That ends your attack." Kristiann countered happily anyways as two beams of light shot from her duel disks into the sky, where they eventually landed on Yami's two monsters, destroyed them instantly.

"Alright, way to go, Kristiann!" Becca cheered happily. "We'll see who gets the last laugh. I activate my own trap card Panic Switch! I suppose I should be thanking you because since you destroyed two of my monsters, this little trap card lets me take another trap card from my graveyard and return it to my hand." Yami explained as he got the only trap card in his graveyard. "Granted I have to put it facedown this turn, but that's fine because it will be your undoing. I'm sure you know exactly which trap card I picked since there was only one in my graveyard. And next turn, I'll activate my Staunch Defender trap once again, causing all of your monsters to attack Yubel and you to lose the duel in intense anguish." Yami explained with evil enthusiasm. "I set your doom facedown along with another card and end my turn." Yami concluded smugly. "Well then, I guess it'll all be decided right here. Let's see what I got!" Kristiann stated dramatically as she drew a card.

"Yami, I know you're not supposed to win here because I just drew exactly the card I need to end your madness and set James free." Kristiann stated with confidence. "Ha, I don't think so, there's not a card created that could save you now!" Yami countered with a laugh. "I beg to differ. I activate Forbidden Chalice! This spell card targets one monster on the field and gives it an extra 400 attack points. And I'm aiming right for Yubel." Kristiann explained as Yubel's attack points rose to 400. "Ahaha, have you finally given in and are now helping me?" Yami laughed mockingly. "Not a chance. Your monster may have an extra 400 attack points, but due to the second effect of Forbidden Chalice, your monster's special abilities are all negated this turn!" Kristiann added. "But that means…" Yami trailed off as his eyes grew wide in realization. "That's right, Yubel can be destroyed in battle this turn. And I know just the monster to do it. But first I activate my facedown card Call of the Haunted to resurrect the Wingweaver I just discarded last turn." Kristiann explained as her six-winged fairy emerged with 2750 attack and 2400 defense. "But that's not all! Now I activate another spell card: Blessings of the Aurora! Now by sacrificing one monster on my side of the field, I can summon a monster with an equal level. Since Wingweaver is a level seven monster, I can sacrifice her in order to summon my favorite monster: Shining Arctic Queen!" Kristiann called out as her fairy disappeared in a blaze of light, heralding the entrance of the queen of light and ice with 2800 attack and 1500 defense. "Scared yet, Yami? Well you should be 'cause I'm about to blind you with light! Shining Arctic Queen destroy Yubel once and for all!" Kristiann commanded as her queen unleashed a blast of light from her scepter, striking Yubel right in the chest and destroying her, sending a portion of the blast Yami's way, causing him to recoil and his life points to drop to 600.

"This isn't over… the pain shall prevail." Yami growled angrily. "I beg to differ Yami. After all, I still have one attack left. Different Dimension Assailant, attack his life points directly and end this duel!" Kristiann commanded as her warrior charged. "No, my dear, I beg to differ with you! I activate my facedown card Dark Heart Gathering! With this card, your attack is negated because I'm able to sacrifice your monster in order to bring out a dark monster of my own." Yami countered as a dark vortex halted Kristiann's attack. "Oh no!" Kristiann exclaimed in protest. "Oh yes! Now I can sacrifice your Assailant and summon to the field the mighty Jinzo!" Yami called out as his evil android emerged with 2400 attack and 1500 defense. "Also since I activated my Dark Heart Gathering card during your turn, I gain 500 life points to my own dark heart." Yami added as his life points rose to 1100. "Alright I end my turn." Kristiann concluded a little frustrated, but with one facedown card. "Of course you do, there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Yami laughed evilly.

Meanwhile…

"Alright boys, it's time for me to keep rocking!" Terra stated with a smile as she drew a card. "I activate the spell card Cost Down! Now by discarding one card from my hand, all the monsters in my hand decrease in levels." Terra explained as she discarded a card. "What was the point of that?" Lance asked mockingly. "Because now I only need one sacrifice in order to summon a much stronger monster. I sacrifice my Mine Golem in order to summon Stone Dragon!" Terra called out as her golem disappeared into the ground and a dragon made completely of rocks emerged with 2000 attack and 2300 defense. "Hmph, not bad." Lance grumbled. "Not bad? That monster rocks!" Beast Boy commented with a laugh. "Thanks, BB. Now Stone Dragon, attack his life points directly!" Terra commanded as she pointed right at Lance and her dragon charged.

"You know what? I'm tired of you walking all over us and now its time to do something about it. I activate my trap card Nutrient Z! Now before you wail me with your attack, I gain 4000 life points." Lance explained as his life points rose to 8600. But then Terra's Dragon hit its mark and Lance's life points dropped again to 6600. "Ha, we're back in this baby." Lance exclaimed as he recoiled from the attack. "Yea for now, but we'll see. I end my turn." Terra concluded. "I'll prove it to ya!" Lance remarked as he drew a card. "I activate the spell card Motorcycle Gang Up! With this little ditty, I can add one monster from my deck right to my hand as long as that monster is, well part of my little motorcycle gang." Lance explained as he searched for a card and reshuffled. "Monsters on motorcycles? Haha, what's next, dueling on motorcycles too?" Beast Boy laughed. "Are you kidding me? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! But this monster's nothing like that. I summon Chaosrider Gustaph in attack mode!" Lance called as his bike fiend emerged with 1400 attack and 1500 defense. "And he's gonna roll all over you! Because by removing two spell cards from my graveyard from play, my monster gets a little power boost: 600 attack points to be exact!" Lance explained as his monster revved its engine and its attack points rose to 2000.

"Now, Gustaph, take out that runt's Des Kangaroo!" Lance commanded as his monster rode forward and slashed the beast monster with a blade, destroying it and reducing Beast Boy's life points to 7500. "I think I've done enough damage this turn. I end my turn." Lance concluded confidently. "Ha, you can't have done enough to keep us down." Beast Boy stated with a grin as he drew a card. "I summon the mighty Berserk Gorilla!" Beast Boy called out as his large ape emerged with 2000 attack and 1000 defense. "Ha, even your chimp can't stand up to my Chaosrider!" Lance laughed. "Maybe not yet, but I've got this field spell that will probably change that. I activate Gaia Power! We're taking it to the woods!" Beast Boy stated as he inserted the card into his duel disk and the area completely changed to a forest setting with a big tree nearby.

"With this card in play, all earth monsters gain 500 attack points, but lose 400 defense points." Beast Boy stated as his Gorilla's attack points rose to 2500 and his Gazelle's attack points rose to 2000. "In fact, Terra's monster gets a boost too since it's an earth monster." Beast Boy added as Terra's Stone Dragon's attack points rose to 2500 as well. "Thanks, B!" Terra thanked. "No prob! Now it's time to take you guys out. Berserk Gorilla, attack Chaosrider Gustaph!" Beast Boy commanded as his beast charged forward and threw Lance's monster right at its owner. "Hey watch it! Why does everyone seem to want to throw stuff at me?" Lance exclaimed as his life points dropped to 6100. "I dunno, but I'm not "threw" with you guys just yet! Haha, get it?" Beast Boy chuckled as his own joke. "Ah, well anyways, let's not leave baldy out of the action here. Gazelle, attack that dude's life points directly!" Beast Boy commanded as his second monster took a swing at Xime, reducing his life points further to 4600.

"And with that, I set one last card facedown and end my turn." Beast Boy concluded. "So much for getting back up, soon we'll be done. After all that, we're back at square one!" Xime lamented. "Yea, I'll say! I hope those other losers are doing better than we are…" Lance thought out loud.

Meanwhile…

"It's my move." Zane stated emotionlessly as he drew a card. "Yami, your power isn't bad, but now it's time to unleash all of mine! I activate the spell card Polymerization! This lets me fuse together the Cyberdark Keel in my hand with Cyberdark Horn and Cyberdark Edge in order to summon Cyberdark Dragon!" Zane called dramatically as he raised the card up and his mechanical dark dragon emerged with 1000 attack and defense. "And due to Cyberdark Dragon's special ability, it gains 100 attack points for every monster in my graveyard and it can absorb the power of one dragon monster in my graveyard, or my partner's." Zane explained as he looked over to Yami, who shot a nasty look back. "And I choose to absorb the power of Palkia- The Sovereign of Space for ultimate power!" Zane stated as his dragon clamped onto Yami's and its attack points rose to a grand total of 4300. "Now Cyberdark Dragon, unleash all of your power on Flora Queen Isis!" Zane commanded as his dragon let out a roar and prepared its dark energy blast attack. "Not exactly, Zane. I activate my trap card…" Becca began but was interrupted. "A trap card? I'm afraid Jinzo's special ability negates the activation and effects of all trap cards on the field. So sad." Yami explained with an evil smirk as his monster shot a laser from its eyes, keeping Becca's trap in its place before it had to the chance to flip up. With that out of the way, Zane's dragon continued its assault, striking Becca's Queen and destroying it in a blaze of dark energy, zapping her life points down to 650.

"Are you feeling the anguish yet?" Zane asked with slight anger as Becca was knocked to the ground from the attack. "It doesn't matter how much it hurts, we'll get through it Zane and bring you and James back." Becca answered as she slowly got up. "Whatever you say, but be aware that no one escapes the power of the Underworld Deck. With that, I end my turn." Zane concluded dramatically as he set another card facedown. "Underworld Deck aside, there' nothing you can do to stand up to the infinite power of darkness." Yami added. "I know we can do it." Becca stated with determination as she drew a card. Suddenly, but subtly, Becca's Wave Motion Cannon beeped and a light on it became active. "That's right I still have Wave Motion Cannon on my side of the field and now that it has enough counters on it, I can end this duel right here and now." Becca thought to herself with a smile.

"I can still activate spell cards and I've got just the one to blast you both back. By sending my Wave Motion Cannon card to the graveyard, I can inflict direct damage to your life points, 2000 to be exact. And that's enough to end this duel once and for all." Becca explained with a grin. "Fire at will, Cannon!" Becca commanded as her cannon prepared its firing sequence. "I think not! By sending my Nightmare Raven from my hand right to my graveyard, I can negate all your effect damage this turn. You can't win that easily." Yami countered as Becca's cannon fired at him. Before the blast hit however, a wall of shadow energy rose up and blocked the attack. Then Becca's cannon disappeared. "There's nothing else I can do then. I set this monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn. I'm sorry, Zane." Becca concluded sadly. "Don't be sorry, it's only destiny that you fall here and feel the everlasting pain while darkness takes over! There's no need to apologize for not having enough hope because there is no hope, there is only darkness and pain!" Yami laughed evilly as the situation looked bleak for the team of light.


	43. Chapter 43: No More Shadow

Chapter 43- No More Shadow

"There is hope, Yami, and we'll prove it!" Kristiann objected. "You think so? Well I disagree, my dear." Yami replied smartly as he drew a card. "And to drive my point home is the master of the skies Harpie's Brother!" Yami called as he raised the card up and his evil bird man emerged with 1800 attack and 600 defense. "You see, the power I've amassed will cut right through you and plunge you into complete sorrow. Harpie's Brother, destroy that pathetic girl's facedown monster!" Yami commanded as his monster sharpened its claw and flew over to Becca's side of the field. When it got there, it ripped into the facedown monster and destroyed it, flashing a cloaked assassin before it disappeared. "I might not be as pathetic as you think. You may have destroyed my facedown Night Assailant, but due to its special ability, one of your monsters is destroyed as well. Say goodbye to your Jinzo." Becca countered as a knife shot from the ground and impaled Jinzo in the chest, destroying it in an explosion.

"And with him gone, we can activate trap cards again!" Kristiann pointed out happily. "A small victory, but the war is not won for you now or ever. I end my turn." Yami concluded simply. "Alright then, it's my move again." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "And with your defenses down, now is the perfect time to strike! Shining Arctic Queen, attack Harpie's Brother!" Kristiann commanded as her beautiful monster charged energy in its scepter. "You think I would fall that easily? By destroying Jinzo last turn, you'd allowed me to use trap cards once again. And in case you've forgotten, I still have one facedown from a few rounds ago. I activate for the second time my Staunch Defender card! This redirects your attack to another monster on our side of the field." Yami explained. "And there's no way Shining Arctic Queen can stand up to Cyberdark Dragon." Yami stated with a dark grin as Zane nodded. "You must have also forgotten that since you can use trap cards again, so can we. And I activate my own trap card Solemn Judgment! Now by giving up half of my life points, the effects of your trap are negated." Becca countered as Yami's trap card shattered and Becca's life points dropped to 325.

"Thanks, Becca, that was a close one. Now on with my attack; Shining Arctic Queen go!" Kristiann continued as her monster unleashed a beam of light energy that struck Yami's winged beast, destroying it and reducing his life points to 100. "Alright, we're getting right down to the wire here, so I set this card facedown and end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "And that facedown card might be the only thing that saves us." Kristiann added in her thoughts as Zane silently drew a card. "Then allow me to tip the balance and show all of you true power. Cyberdark Dragon, destroy Shining Arctic Queen and claim my victory!" Zane commanded as his monster loosed a stream of dark energy at Kristiann's queen. "The only ones going to suffer around here is the darkness inside of both of you. I activate my facedown card Arctic Angel's Glory! Not only does this negate your attack, but it also destroys all of your dark monsters, namely Cyberdark Dragon." Kristiann explained as a blue energy field protected her and expanded towards Zane's dragon, enveloping it as well. "I can not be denied that easily. When Cyberdark Dragon is about to be destroyed, its equipped monster is destroyed instead." Zane explained as Palkia was destroyed instead, dropping Cyberdark Dragon's attack points down to 1400.

"That may be, but my trap has a second effect as well. Now I can also summon my Arctic Angel to the field." Kristiann explained as her ice fairy emerged with 2000 attack and 1900 defense. "That monster is insignificant to me. It's just another stepping stone on my way to victory. I lay one card facedown and end for now." Zane concluded his turn. "The only way to get victory Zane is to go through us. And that's not happening!" Becca stated with determination as she drew a card. "And here's where we make our awesome comeback. I activate the spell card Chosen One! Here's where it gets a little tricky: I have three cards here in my hand, but only one of them is a monster. Now you get to pick one of these cards and if you choose the monster, I get to summon it automatically to the field. So Zane, let's see whose back destiny has. Pick a card." Becca explained as she held up the three cards in her hand. "I pick the card in the middle." Zane chose as he pointed to the card. "Oh, bad choice! Well, for you anyways. Since you picked my only monster card, I can summon her right to the field. It's my favorite monster and the one I'll use to bring you back from the darkness. I summon Legendary Heroine Summer!" Becca called out as her female warrior emerged with 2600 attack and 2300 defense and Becca sent the other two cards to the graveyard.

"It's fitting that I use this monster to defeat you, Zane. After all, she gives me strength, literally. When Summer's first placed on the field, I gain life points equal to the attack points of one of your monsters. And since Cyberdark Dragon is your only one, I guess it'll have to do." Becca explained as her life points rose to 1725. "Now it's time to end this for real Zane. Here goes nothing; Legendary Heroine Summer, destroy Cyberdark Dragon and shatter the darkness!" Becca called out as her deck's strongest warrior unsheathed its blade and charged Zane. "She can't stop me and neither can you. I activate Power Wall! By discarding cards from my deck, I can block your attack. So I send twenty-six of them right to the graveyard to stop your attack before it even hits!" Zane countered as he tossed a bunch of cards right from his deck into the air, using their energy to block Becca's attack. "You're a monster now, Zane! You just discarded almost your entire deck just to block my attack!" Becca exclaimed as her warrior returned to her side of the field.

"Not just that, but by having more cards in my graveyard, Cyberdark Dragon gains more attack points." Zane added as his dark machine dragon's attack points rose to 2900. "That's horrible, Zane! You've lost all respect for your cards and everyone else. Maybe I can't save you from the darkness." Becca sighed. "Becca, you can't think like that, we can and we will win and save them both!" Kristiann encouraged. "Yea, you're right, I just had a moment of weakness there. Thanks, Kristiann. Anyways, I've nothing left for now. I end my turn." Becca concluded. "Do you fools honestly think you stand a chance against the boundless power of darkness and hate?" Yami laughed manically. "Of course, we've been doing good so far, and we're not giving up now." Kristiann replied determinately. "Touché, but unfortunately for you, this duel has gone on long enough and now it must end." Yami stated, serious again, as he drew a card.

"And indeed, now is the time to finish you all off once and for all. Because now I control the most powerful force on earth, and I will use it to make you all suffer." Yami told them ominously. "Bring it, we can take it!" Becca shouted at him. "You think so? Perhaps you are more foolish than I thought. Well, ready or not, I'm unleashing the full power of shadows on you here and now. I activate the spell card Temporal Destiny!" Yami called out dramatically as an eerie blue circle entrapped the entire field. "What's going on?" Becca asked a little nervous. "In order to summon one of my strongest monsters, I must first give the appropriate tribute first. By removing from play one monster of every attribute in my graveyard, I can call forth the creature of your demise." Yami explained as Jinzo, Mirage Dragon, Meteor B. Dragon, Palkia- The Sovereign of Space, Harpie's Brother, and Hardened Armed Dragon appeared at regular intervals on the circle. "Now by removing all of these lesser creatures from play, I call forth from the dimensional rifts, Dialga- Tyrant of Time!" Yami exclaimed madly as one by one the six monsters vanished and the circle began to glow brighter. Then, with a far-off roar, the circle shattered and the mighty dragon of time emerged from where it once stood with a mighty 3700 attack and 3600 defense. "That monster's super powerful!" Becca exclaimed as it roared once again. "Yes, it is! Now, tremble in fear at your ultimate fate!" Yami laughed evilly.

Meanwhile…

"Mr. Pegasus, Mr. Pegasus!" Croquet shouted as he knocked on the door to Pegasus's room. "Yes, Croquet, what is it?" Pegasus asked sleepily as he answered the door. "It would appear that someone has activated your personal duel simulator without your permission, sir." Croquet told his employer. "What? When did this happen?" Pegasus asked, suddenly more awake. "We're not sure, sir. But our computers just indicated that the system is now operating." Croquet revealed. "Very well, Croquet, stay here. I'm just going to get dressed real quick and then I'll be down to check it out." Pegasus commanded as he dashed back into his room, closing the door behind him. "Hmm, this is an interesting turn of events. What kind of idiots would sneak into my duel simulator in the middle of the night? Guess there's only one way to find out." Pegasus thought to himself as he got dressed and exited his room.

Meanwhile…

"So that later we can do a victory dance, I'd better make this turn count, it might be our last chance." Xime stated as he drew a card. "It's time to try and even up the score, so I'll summon The Six Samurai- Zanji plus more." Xime stated as his light ninja emerged with 1800 attack and 1300 defense. "But that's not all, because with Zanji on the field, Legendary Ebon Steed it can wield." Xime added as his monster gained the equip spell and its attack and defense points rose to 2000 and 1500 respectively. "But there's even more, don't let out a sigh, 'cause I can bring back Irou with Return of the Six Samurai!" Xime continued as his trap flipped up and the dark ninja returned to the field with 1700 attack and 1200 defense.

"Now my Samurai don't wait for the bell, attack now and destroy his Gazelle!" Xime commanded as his warrior galloped forward on its new steed and slashed Beast Boy's monster, destroying it. "Wait, our monsters had equal attack points, so why was mine destroyed?" Beast Boy questioned. "A special ability you see, because when Zanji attacks, you're monster's automatically destroyed even if enough power mine lacks." Xime explained. "Alright, so you destroyed one of my monsters, but luckily I have this one in my hand that has a neat little special effect. When one of my beast monsters is destroyed, I can give up 1000 life points to summon my favorite monster right to the field: Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest!" Beast Boy explained as his life points dropped to 6000 and his large green monkey emerged with 2600 attack and 1800 defense, adjusted to 3100 attack and 1400 defense due to the effects of the field spell. "Haha, it's green, just like me." Beast Boy laughed to himself.

"That's not too bad, it won't throw off our groove, but with one last facedown card I finish my move." Xime concluded his turn as Irou was sent back to the graveyard due to the effects of his trap. "Then it's my move again, and I think its time to wrap things up." Terra stated as she drew a card. "And here it is, the last monster you two will see in this duel. By removing two rock monsters in my graveyard from play, namely Mine Golem and Stone Statue of the Aztecs, I can summon my own favorite monster: Gaia Plate the Earth Giant!" Terra called out dramatically as there was an earthquake and the giant rock man emerged from the ground with 2800 attack and 1000 defense, adjusted to 3300 attack and 600 defense due to the field spell's effect. "Now I think it's time to finally end this duel. Gaia Plate, rock and roll all over spiky over there!" Terra commanded as her giant pulled back a massive fist. "Not again!" Lance exclaimed, preparing for the attack. "Don't worry Lance, I got this covered, once my Double-Edged Sword Technique trap is discovered. Now I can summon two warriors from my grave to protect you being very brave." Xime countered as his Samurais Irou and Nisashi emerged with 1700 and 1400 attack respectively.

"That's cool, but my attack is still under way!" Terra reminded as her giant smashed The Six Samurai- Irou, destroying it and reducing Lance and Xime's life points to 3000. "Now, Stone Dragon, also attack and rock smash his other warrior!" Terra added as her dragon closed in and crushed the other Samurai, destroying it and reducing their life points further to 1900. "Alright, nice going Xime, we survived this round!" Lance cheered, but Terra just gave a smirk. "Uh, why the smirk?" Lance questioned a little nervous. But then he noticed that Beast Boy had revealed his facedown card and he was smirking as well. "Oh no, I knew this would be hard, it seems the green one has activated his facedown card!" Xime pointed out, nervous as well. "That's right, I activated my Creature Swap card, which lets me trade one of my monsters with another player's on the field. And I use it to trade my Green Baboon for Terra's Stone Dragon. Of course, it's not an even trade because Terra's monster is so much better." Beast Boy explained with a cute line as Terra giggled and Lance rolled his eyes.

"Ha, but all cute lines aside, you guys just lost, because my monster hasn't attacked yet and since it's now Terra's monster, she can use it to attack and finish you guys off." Beast Boy added. "That's right, it's been a fun duel guys, but it's about to end right here. Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, attack his life points directly!" Terra added as Beast Boy's former ape charged forward. "No! Why is it always me?" Lance exclaimed as the monkey punched him, reducing his life points down to a final 0. "Haha, you just got aped." Beast Boy laughed as the holograms faded. "Now I understand that knowing smirk, they won because of their great teamwork." Xime stated. "That's right, BB and I duel together and that's how we beat you guys." Terra admitted. "Yea whatever, it was a cool duel anyways and stuff." Lance got out with annoyance. "Anytime, buddy, just next time, be ready to monkey with the monkey." Beast Boy laughed as he turned into a monkey and did a little dance, to which Terra giggled again.

"Well this is all very cute and stuff, but could you please explain something?" Lance asked the pair. "Sure, what's up?" Terra asked in reply as Beast Boy resumed his human form. "Just where are we?" Lance asked. "I can answer that." A familiar voice called out as Terra and Beast Boy faded away as if they were holograms themselves. "What the…" Lance trailed off as the door they came through reappeared behind them and Maximillion Pegasus strode in. "You're in my virtual dueling simulator!" Pegasus shouted at them in an angry tone. "What do you mean?" Lance asked accusingly. "I designed this place to practice dueling as I sometimes do in my spare time, and usually I'm the only one with access into it. But someone must have just forgot to lock the door." Pegasus explained to them with a sigh.

"So I guess what I'm asking is how did you two get in here and just why were you sneaking around the castle in the first place?" Pegasus shouted again to them. "Well since we figured rare cards were your deal, if we snuck around this place then some of them we could ste…" Xime began to explain but was cut off by Lance putting his hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of the last word. "What he means is that we saw those other losers in this tournament with us wandering into the main room and we went looking for help. Yea, that's right, we wanted to help them." Lance explained with a huge, fake grin. "Well what did they need help with?" Pegasus questioned further. "Uh, we're not sure, but there were in some kind of hurry." Lance replied. "And that's all you know?" Pegasus asked again in an accusing tone. "Of course, I wouldn't lie to ya!" Lance replied defensively. "Well then it can't hurt to go see what's going on in that main room. Sigh, weird things always seem to happen at these tournaments." Pegasus sighed as he began to leave the room. "Come on you two, you're coming with me." Pegasus urged as Lance and Xime got their act together. "Yes, sir!" Lance replied with a salute as all three left the room and headed for the main lobby of the inner castle.

Meanwhile…

"Now with Dialga under my command, you shall all feel endless pain!" Yami laughed with malice. "We can handle your giant dragon and slay it!" Becca shouted back. "Then you obviously haven't seen Dialga's special ability. I can only activate it once per duel, but it is the strongest effect you will ever face and the last. Dialga, activate your temporal devastation attack!" Yami called out dramatically as his dragon let out a massive roar and a swirling wormhole opened up in the space above it. "First we must all discard every card in our hands. Then Dialga destroys every card on your side of the field and you take 200 points of damage for each one. Now suffer!" Yami explained as each player discarded his or her hand. Then Dialga stamped one of its feet and a shock wave was unleashed from the wormhole and ripped through all three of Kristiann's and Becca's monsters, destroying them all and reducing their life points to 1125.

"And with them out of the way, you're done for! Dialga- Tyrant of Time, attack that so called essence of light and finish this duel! It's all over!" Yami commanded as his mighty dragon charged up energy in its mouth. "Nice try, Yami, but when you destroyed my Arctic Angel, you activated its special ability. Now I can't take any battle damage this turn." Kristiann pointed out with relief. "That may be, but I can still make you feel the pain of my attack. Dialga, attack her anyways!" Yami remarked as his dragon unleashed its energy blast, striking Kristiann in the burst stream and sending her to the ground. "Yami, that's sick! Kristiann, are you ok?" Becca asked with compassion as she started to go over to her. "Stay in your place, Becca, this is a duel and it's everyone for themselves." Zane remarked as Becca stopped. "It's ok, Becca, I'm ok." Kristiann replied as she got on her feet again.

"Well you soon won't be. So make your last pathetic move before the shadows consume you as well!" Yami remarked. "Yami, I know James is in there and I've got one last chance to bring him back. And I won't let him down." Kristiann stated with determination in her eyes as she drew a card. "It fills me with such joy to see the last glimmer of hope in your eyes shatter into despair and…" Yami trailed off as his eyes grew wide and Kristiann smiled. "It fills me with such joy to see that I drew the last hope I have for winning this duel and setting my love free." Kristiann stated with a smile. "You couldn't have…" Yami trailed off. "But I have. I activate one last spell card: Completion Convergence! Since you destroyed at least two of our monsters last turn, I can summon two of them back to the field and count that as my normal summon for this turn. One of them I choose is my Shining Arctic Queen and I think Becca would like the second." Kristiann explained with a glance towards her dueling partner, who nodded in reply.

"And the second monster I choose is Becca's Legendary Heroine Summer. Now come forth, our two strongest monsters!" Kristiann called as her beautiful queen emerged with 2800 attack and 1500 defense and Becca's beautiful warrior emerged with 2600 attack and 2300 defense. "Fools! Neither of your monsters is strong enough to compete with the power of our darkness!" Yami laughed mockingly. "That would normally be true, but due to the second effect of my spell card, our monsters can attack as one for this turn only. That's it, Yami and you too Zane, the light wins!" Kristiann explained as their two monsters put their weapons together and charged them together. "Shining Arctic Queen!" Kristiann exclaimed. "Legendary Heroine Summer!" Becca also exclaimed. "Attack as one and bring our friends back!" They both shouted in unison as they both unleashed their respective attacks, Kristiann's at Dialga and Becca's at Cyberdark Dragon. "No, this can't be! My shadow power!" Shroud exclaimed in desperation as the explosion of light enveloped the field, reducing the evil team's life points down to 0 at last.


	44. Chapter 44: Back on Track

Chapter 44- Back on Track

"They lost? This can't be! Ah!" Shroud exclaimed as his computer exploded right in front of him. "James!" Kristiann exclaimed as the explosion of light faded as did all of the holograms and she dashed to where their opponents once stood. On the opposite side of the former dueling field, both James, who was now back to his original appearance, and Zane were lying facedown on the ground. "Uh, what happened? I don't remember a thing." James asked groggily as he regained consciousness. "James, you're ok!" Kristiann exclaimed again as she embraced the boy. "Baby, what happened? Were we dueling… I did something horrible, didn't I?" James asked with wide eyes as he returned the embrace. "No, baby, it was just a bad dream. You just… had a nightmare." Kristiann told him lovingly as her eyes began to well up. "Baby… I'm sorry." James replied with closed eyes. "It's ok baby. You're back, that's all that matters." Kristiann replied as the two remained there in each other's arms. "Adrian, you're awake!" Echo exclaimed happily as the red-head came around as well. "Yea, I must have taken a pretty big knock there. Did you guys beat that Shroud character?" Adrian asked as he held his head and got to his feet again. "Yep, Kristiann and Becca really saved the day here." Echo replied with a smile.

"Hmm, what happened?" Zane also asked in his true voice as he came to and got to his feet. "Zane, you're yourself again!" Becca exclaimed as she hugged him. "Was I not… Shroud!" Zane said in realization as he broke the hug. "So that's your name? Just why are you messing with us Shroud? What's going on?" James asked angrily. "My plan was to get just revenge on Mr. Truesdale here but things haven't gone quite as planned. And now with my machine broken, I think it's time to make my getaway." Shroud replied as he grabbed the broken computer. "You won't be going anywhere!" Maximilian Pegasus shouted as he burst open the main doors at the top of the stairs and entered the room with Lance and Xime right behind him.

"Jeez some party going on in here!" Lance pointed out. "Yes, a bit too much of a party. Just what is going on here?" Pegasus shouted again to everyone. "I'm afraid I've stayed too long, Mr. Pegasus and I must be going. But don't worry, I'll see myself out." Shroud told him and he made a run for the exit. "Stop him!" Pegasus called out to someone as James, Kristiann, Zane, and Becca ran after Shroud. But he was already out the main doors before the other four even made it out. "You know, for a creepy guy in a top hat, he runs pretty fast!" James commented as they dashed outside just in time to see a helicopter fly over the castle and drop down a ladder. "I can promise you, Mr. Truesdale and Mr. Alvarez, that this isn't the last you've seen of me and we will meet again!" Shroud shouted down from halfway up the ladder. "Shroud, come down here now!" Zane shouted up, but it was too late; the helicopter had already left along with the last trace of Shroud.

"He's gone, Zane." Becca pointed out a little disappointed. "Yea, but at least we don't have to deal with him anymore. And everything's back to normal. So let's head inside." James suggested as the four walked back into the castle. "Well did you him?" Lance asked as he, Xime, and Pegasus walked to the bottom of the stairs. "Unfortunately he got away." Zane stated with a hint of anger. "Well I suppose as long as all of this madness has come to an end, then I suppose that's alright. What exactly happened here anyways?" Pegasus asked the group. "Well long story short, some mysterious cloaked guy named Shroud snuck in here and made Zane go all evil. Then I dueled him, but lost. And then I think James went all evil too. But then Kristiann and Becca beat those two and now everything's back to normal." Adrian summed up as he and Echo went to join the others.

"Sounds like you all had quite the adventure tonight. And to think, I thought a duel monsters tournament was going to go on without any kind of evil force trying to take over the world. Ah, silly me." Pegasus shrugged. "But I digress, I suppose with all this excitement you all want to go back to bed now, so I guess we can just go on like this whole little ordeal never happened." Pegasus suggested. "Yea, I guess that's the best thing we can do right now." James agreed with a bit of a smile. "Then it's settled that's what we'll do then! Alright everybody back to bed then. We'll meet up again in this room at ten o'clock sharp tomorrow." Pegasus affirmed as he began to walk away. "Hey do you think we should mention…" Lance whispered to his buddy. "Yes; Pegasus, not that I have any dread, but in each of our rooms, there's only one bed." Xime pointed out. "What? Oh I must have forgot to change all the furniture before you all got here. There's so much to do before a tournament starts you know. But just in case something like this were to happen, there's a blow out mattress in each of the closets for you to use. Well good night then." Pegasus told them as he walked out of the room.

"Of course, why didn't I think of that?" Zane asked flatly. "Well now that everything's all settled, why don't we take Pegasus up on that advice and head back to bed. I'm pretty tired myself!" Lance yawned as he and Xime walked off towards the rooms. "Yea, that's probably not a bad idea. Good night everyone, see you tomorrow." Echo agreed as she and Adrian walked off as well. "Well what do ya say?" James asked the remaining three. "Yea, I am pretty tired. Let's go!" Kristiann finalized as the four duelists headed towards their rooms, James and Kristiann leading the way, and Zane and Becca behind them. "Hey baby, I'm really sorry for everything that… for everything that happened." James told his lady despairingly. "Baby, it's ok, it wasn't your fault. You were being controlled by Shroud's machine. But… your darkness was powerful. But it wasn't anything we couldn't beat. If he ever appears again, you can be sure that we'll beat him the same way twice." Kristiann replied confidently. "Thanks." James said with a faint smile.

"Becca, I want to apologize for all that Shroud did to us. There was no reason to involve you in this." Zane told his dueling partner. "It's ok, Zane, it wasn't anything you could help. I'm just glad we could stop him and the evil he brought out." Becca replied. "He's a nothing, always was, always will be. But you risked everything to try to stand up to us and save James and I from the darkness. I don't claim to understand why, but I'm grateful you did." Zane added with a hint of emotion. "Zane, I… you're welcome." Becca got out. By this time, the four had arrived at their rooms already. "Well this is where we say good night for now." James stated to the group. "Yep, until tomorrow!" Becca bid farewell as everyone said their goodnights and went into their respective rooms to sleep.

The next morning, the eight semifinalists, Pegasus, and Croquet had gathered in the main lobby at the set time. "Greetings everyone! I hope you all got enough sleep because today will mark the end of the International Tag Team Championship! By the time the sun sets on this day, two duelists, one team, will claim the crown and become the greatest tag team of duelists in the world! Of course no pressure or nothing." Pegasus greeted the party dramatically. "Does everything have to be so dramatic?" Adrian asked as a joke. "Now if you would please follow me, I will show you to the room where the semifinals will take place." Croquet told them as he and Pegasus began walking into another room of the castle. "Jeez, just how big is this castle? It's enormous!" Lance asked no one in particular. "I'll say, it's like Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory." James added to the comment with a little laugh. "Yea but without the Oompa Loompas." Kristiann added with a whiny shiver. At the end of another long hallway in a side doorway, was another door that led into the semifinals room.

The room, like most others in the castle, was large and expansive. It was longer than it was wide and had columns and arches lining the length of it. There were high windows covered with red curtains and elegant chandeliers on the high ceilings. The room was well lit and overall had the appearance of a classic throne room. But instead of a throne at the far side was a small set of stairs that led up to an elevator. "Quite the room we have here." Becca commented aloud. "Well, every castle needs its throne room. However this one is a little different. In here we're not necessarily dueling for the crown but for the chance to ride up that elevator to the final stage." Pegasus explained as he pointed to the elevator at the end of the room. "Looks like its all uphill from here then." James joked.

"Indeed. Now, I believe we've spent enough time with theatrics and suspense. It's time to begin the semifinals!" Pegasus exclaimed as he took a seat on one of the chairs lined up on the side of the room. "The first round up will be the team of Kristiann and James versus the team of Zane and Becca. Duelists, you may take your positions." Croquet announced as he stood next to his employer on the sidelines. "I guess we can sit this one out then." Adrian stated as he, Echo, Lance, and Xime also took seats near Pegasus. "Alright, Zane, Becca, this is it! It's time for that big rematch you wanted." James stated with happy determination as he and Kristiann took their places to the close side of the dueling arena. "I've been waiting to grind my knuckles against a strong opponent again. You two were quite the challenge last time. Only this time, victory will be mine." Zane replied challengingly as he and Becca took their places on the far side of the arena.

"Hey Kristiann, just because we were a team last night doesn't mean that I'm going to go any easier on you today." Becca stated. "I wouldn't want it any other way. Duel with everything you've got!" Kristiann replied with a smile. "I'm quite looking forward to see how this duel turns out. Last time they were almost perfectly matched. It will be interesting to see how this little rematch turns out." Pegasus thought to himself. "James, Kristiann, I'm not holding anything back! It's time to give our all and see just who will be victorious!" Zane challenged as he and Becca activated their duel disks. "I agree, Zane. Let's make this one epic duel!" James replied as he and Kristiann activated their duel disks as well. Both team's life points were set to 8000 and they all drew their opening hands. "Let's duel!" All four duelists shouted in unison, signaling the beginning of the semifinals.


	45. Chapter 45: Evolutionary Rematch

Chapter 45- Evolutionary Rematch

"Well if this is going to be the rematch of the century then I'd better start us off good." James stated as he drew a card. "And I guess this monster will do. I summon Marauding Captain in attack mode!" James called as his battle-scared warrior emerged with 1200 attack and 400 defense. "But that's not all. When Marauding Captain is summoned to the field, I can automatically special summon another monster right from my hand. So to boost my attack force, I'll also summon Neo the Magic Swordsman!" James added as his second monster emerged with 1700 attack and 1000 defense. "Not bad, hunh? I end my turn with one facedown card. That's all for now." James concluded confidently. "That wasn't bad, but you're going to have to do better if you aim to win this duel." Zane remarked challengingly as he drew a card. "First off, I activate the spell card Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards if I then discard two." Zane explained as he did so.

"Next I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon to the field…" Zane called out as his weaker machine dragon emerged with 1100 attack and 600 defense. "And activate Overload Fusion! With this card, I can remove from play and then fuse the Proto-Cyber Dragon on the field with the Cyber Phoenix and Cyber Ouroboros in my graveyard in order to summon Chimeratech Overdragon!" Zane added dramatically as his hydra-like machine dragon emerged with a flash and 2400 attack and defense points. "Chimeratech Overdragon? That's the card Zane used at the end of our last duel!" Kristiann exclaimed. "That's right, only this time you have a lot more to worry about. When Cyber Ouroboros is removed from play, I can discard one card from my hand in order to draw another card from my deck." Zane explained as he did so. "You couldn't beat this monster last duel James and it forced a draw. The question is, are you ready to face it again now?" Zane asked dramatically. "Bring it on, Zane, this time around, Kristiann and I can take down anything that comes our way." James replied with determination.

"Very well then. Chimeratech Overdragon, destroy his Marauding Captain!" Zane commanded as his machine hydra unleashed an energy blast from one of its three heads, striking James's warrior and destroying it, reducing his life points down to 6800. "And if you remember from our last duel, Chimeratech Overdragon can attack any number of times equal to the fusion monsters used to summon it. Since I used three monsters, I get three attacks. So Chimeratech, destroy Neo the Magic Swordsman as well!" Zane added as one of his monsters' other heads shot an energy blast at James's side of the field, destroying his spell caster and reducing his life points further to 6100. "And now James, with your life points wide open, Chimeratech Overdragon, will attack your life points directly!" Zane commanded dramatically as his hydra's third head shot an energy blast that struck James directly, dropping his life points even further to 3700.

"Still think you have a chance?" Zane asked emotionlessly. "Of course I do Zane, we're going to win this duel. Don't believe me? Well then maybe this trap card can help convince you. I activate my facedown card Mark of a Fallen Hero!" James countered as he revealed his trap. "Since you attacked my life points directly this turn, I can pay you back with a little something as well. And by that, I mean that the monster that just attacked me, your Chimeratech Overdragon, loses 1000 attack points as long as this trap remains on the field." James explained as an orb shot from the card and hit Zane's monster, dropping its attack points down to 1800. "Impressive, James, but this duel is far from over. I end my turn." Zane concluded with the faint of a smile. "Impressed now? Then you haven't seen anything yet!" Kristiann remarked confidently as she drew a card.

"I'll start off my part of the duel by getting our life points back up. I activate the spell card Spell Absorption! Now as long as this card remains in play, our team gets 500 life points every time someone activates a spell card." Kristiann explained as her spell was put into play. "And I'll start fueling that card by activating the spell card Light Speed Shining which lets me add a quick-play spell right to my hand, increasing my life points by 500 for the first time." Kristiann explained as she collected the card and her life points rose to 4200. "But I'll save that for later. For now, I'm summoning Gemini Elf!" Kristiann called as her twin elves emerged with 1900 attack and 900 defense. "And because your Chimeratech has been weakened by James's trap card, it's right for my Gemini Elf's picking. Gemini Elf, destroy Chimeratech Overdragon!" Kristiann commanded as her spell casters charged up an orb of energy and shot it at Zane's machine hydra, striking and destroying it, reducing Zane and Becca's life points to 7900.

"And now that the monster is destroyed, that trap card is sent to the graveyard also. Speaking of which, if I know James, then he's got something planned just for the occasion." Kristiann stated with a knowing grin in James's direction. "You're absolutely right, baby. When one of my continuous spell or trap cards is destroyed, I can automatically special summon this guy right from my hand. Come on out, Butterfly Knight!" James called out happily as his winged warrior emerged with 1500 attack and 800 defense. "Butterfly Knight? Well that's definitely not a highly effeminate card." Adrian said flatly to himself from the sidelines. "Uh, James, you just summoned a monster called 'Butterfly Knight.' It's times like these that I worry about you." Becca sighed. "Hey, my Butterfly Knight is super cool, you'll see!" James responded defensively. "Effeminate monster or not, that move did demonstrate the unique power of teamwork that James and Kristiann share. Zane and Becca are going to have to match that if they hope to win this duel." Pegasus thought to himself.

"Exactly, James, I believe in you and your monster. But for now, I just set this card facedown and end my turn. Let's see if you can top that, Becca." Kristiann concluded with a grin. "With pleasure!" Becca replied determinately as she drew a card. "I'll start off my own part of this duel by summoning a monster, Makyura the Destructor to be exact!" Becca called as her dark warrior emerged with 1600 attack and 1200 defense. "And then after I set this card facedown, I'll use my Makyura to clip your Butterfly Knight's wings, permanently. Go destructive slash attack!" Becca commanded as her clawed warrior charged. "I told you you'd regret making fun of my Butterfly Knight and now you're about to find out why. See, when Butterfly Knight is attacked by a monster with more attack points than it, it rises to the occasion and increases its attack points to match yours." James explained as his monster's attack points rose to 1600. "But then our monsters will destroy each other!" Becca exclaimed in realization. "Exactly." James replied smartly as both monsters collided and destroyed each other.

"Well your Butterfly Knight wasn't the only monster with a special ability. During the turn that Makyura is sent to the graveyard, I'm able to activate trap cards right from my hand. And I've got just the one: Rope of Life!" Becca countered as she activated the card. "This lets me bring back the monster that you just destroyed, only this time he's got 800 more attack points." Becca explained as her warrior rose up again with 2400 attack and 1200 defense. "And once again, James, you're life points are wide open. Makyura the Destructor, attack him directly!" Becca called out again as her warrior charged. "Hey baby, can you bail me out again?" James asked a little sheepishly. "Of course, baby. I activate my facedown spell The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh! Now I can summon one Winged Kuriboh in defense mode right to James's side of the field to protect his life points." Kristiann called out as the tiny winged fur ball monster emerged with 300 attack and 200 defense. "And because that was a spell card, I gain 500 life points due to my Spell Absorption card." Kristiann added as her life points rose to 4700. "Aww, that monster is pretty cute, but I'll cut right through it anyways." Becca continued her attack as her monster cut down the powder-puff, destroying it.

"Thanks again, baby, because now we can't take any battle damage for the rest of the turn due to Winged Kuriboh's effect." James thanked. "Well that doesn't matter too much because my turn's pretty much over now anyways." Becca concluded her turn. "It is? Well then allow me!" James exclaimed as he drew a card. "I've gotta make up for my bad playing just now and I've got just the monster to help me. I summon Getsu Fuhma in attack mode!" James called as his shadow warrior emerged with 1700 attack and 1200 defense. "And with Zane's life points wide open, Getsu Fuhma, return the favor and attack him directly!" James commanded as his warrior slashed Zane with its blade, reducing their life points to 6200. "Then I'll lay one card facedown and call it a turn." James concluded. "I wouldn't call that a turn. I would call that not enough if you hope to beat us." Zane remarked as he drew a card. "I told you, you're going to have to give everything you've got to beat us here." Zane told him flatly.

"I know that, and I will." James replied with determination. "Tell that to my Cyber Dragon!" Zane called as his machine dragon emerged with 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "Now Cyber Dragon, take out his Getsu Fuhma with strident blast!" Zane commanded as his dragon unleashed a burst stream of energy. "You told me to give it my all, Zane. Well, be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. I activate my trap card Exile to the Stratosphere! Now before your attack hits, this trap card lets me remove your Cyber Dragon from play as long as this trap card stays on the field." James countered as Zane's dragon was lifted up and temporarily removed from the game. "Not bad James, but you're going to have to do better than that because I activate Different Dimension Capsule. By playing this card, I can put one card from my deck into the capsule and in two turns, I get to add that card to my hand." Zane explained as a capsule appeared and then disappeared again with a card.

"Because you activated another spell card however, we get 500 life points." Kristiann reminded as her life points rose to 5200. "It was well worth it. Because the card I just placed in the capsule is exactly what I need to end this duel. It's just a matter of if you can last until it arrives. This isn't like any of your past duels. Our last encounter on the battlefield may have ended in a draw but as we both know, we've all grown since then. And now it's time to put all of that into practice." Zane stated almost dramatically. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn. We'll see who truly is the superior tag team soon enough." Zane concluded as the most heated duel of the tournament thus far continued.


	46. Chapter 46: Stopping by the Woods in the

Chapter 46- Stopping by the Woods in the Semifinals

"I can pretty much guarantee you that James and I are the superior tag team, and we'll prove it to you." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "In fact I think I'll enlighten you on the subject with my Essence of Light spell card! Not only does it give me 500 life points, but it'll also help you guys see the light." Kristiann called out as her life points rose to 5700. "See, when I activate this card, I can special summon one dark monster from my deck and treat it as a light monster as long as it's alive and kicking, or biting as the case may be. And that's because I'm calling out my Vampire Lord to the field!" Kristiann explained as her vampire monster emerged with 2000 attack and 1500 defense and its clothes became a lighter color. "But that's not all. Because also now all light monsters on my side of the field gain an extra 500 attack points, and since Vampire Lord is now a light monster, he gets the attack boost as well." Kristiann added as her monster's attack points rose to 2500.

"Now, Vampire Lord, attack Makyura the Destructor!" Kristiann commanded as her vampire unleashed a wave of light bats at Becca's warrior, striking and destroying it, reducing Becca's life points to 6000. "But don't forget about my Vampire Lord's special ability. When he inflicts battle damage to your life points, you have to discard one card from your deck of the type of my choosing. And I choose for you to discard a monster." Kristiann explained as Becca sent a monster from her deck to the graveyard. "And speaking of monsters, I still have one raring to go. Gemini Elf, attack Becca's life points directly!" Kristiann commanded as her spell casters prepared their orb of magic. "I guess I should be thanking you for making me discard a monster this turn." Becca stated with a smile. "And why's that?" Kristiann asked a little concerned. "Because now I can activate the trap card Birthright! This lets me special summon the normal monster that I just sent to the graveyard: Flora Queen Isis!" Becca called as her magical plant queen emerged with 2650 attack and 1200 defense.

"I guess I have no choice but to call off my attack then. But that doesn't mean my turn's over yet. I set one card facedown and then finish." Kristiann concluded her turn. "In that case, then allow me to finish what I started." Becca stated as she drew a card. "But first I activate the field spell card Enchanted Dark Forest!" Becca called as she slid the card into her duel disk, transforming the arena into an eerie dark forest. "What does that card do?" James asked as he looked around the new landscape and his life points rose to 6200. "You'll find out soon enough. But for now, Flora Queen Isis, attack Vampire Lord!" Becca commanded as her monster unleashed a blast of green magic at Kristiann's vampire. "I don't think so, Becca. My Vampire Lord's not going anywhere, because I activate my trap card Waboku! This negates your attack and reduces all battle damage to zero." Kristiann explained as Becca's attack was thwarted. "Alright then, I guess that's all for now." Becca concluded her turn.

"Then it's my move again." James stated as he drew a card. "Hold on! Before you continue your move, the effect of my Enchanted Dark Forest field spell activates!" Becca called out. "It does?" James asked questioningly. "Yes it does. In fact, it activates every time one of us draws a card during the start of our turn. And the effect that activates depends on what kind of card you just drew. If you drew a monster, then you have to summon it this turn if any and at all possible. If you drew a spell card, then you're allowed to draw another card. And if you drew a trap card, well then nothing happens." Becca explained. "Oh well that's not too bad, I was expecting something a lot worse. I guess then since I draw this monster I have to summon it, and I think I'll do that right away. I sacrifice my Getsu Fuhma in order to summon the original warrior of light, Luminous Soldier!" James called out as his dark warrior was traded for his light one with 2100 attack and 1400 defense. "It's a good thing you couldn't summon a monster stronger than my Flora Queen Isis." Becca remarked confidently. "Oh yea? Well it's not such a good thing for Zane, whose life points are still wide open. Luminous Soldier, attack his life points directly!" James commanded as his warrior charged for the black-clad duelist.

"No James, what's a good thing for me is that I have a trap card. I activate Cybernetic Summoning! This lets me automatically call forth another Cyber Dragon from my deck and summon it in attack mode." Zane countered as his machine dragon rose with 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "Oh no, since our monsters would only destroy each other, then I guess my attack is off. But that doesn't mean my turn is over. Well, uh, actually it does. I end my turn!" James concluded with a bit of a laugh. "Then it's my move again." Zane stated as he drew a card. "And since I just drew a spell card, I'm able to draw again thanks to the field spell in play." Zane explained as he drew again. "And speaking of spell cards, since I have one of my Cyber Dragons in play, I can activate this one: Evolution Burst!" Zane called out as he activated the card.

"With this, I can use my Cyber Dragon's attack for this turn to destroy one of your cards instead. And I'll use it to destroy your Exile to the Stratosphere and free my other Cyber Dragon!" Zane explained as his machine dragon shot a burst of flame energy at James's trap card, destroying it. Then, from a warp in the sky, Zane's other Cyber Dragon returned to the field with 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "But remember because you activated a spell card, our life points go up." Kristiann reminded as her life points rose to 6700. "That was worth the cost because now I can activate a second spell card: Polymerization! Now I can fuse the two Cyber Dragons on my field in order to create the Cyber Twin Dragon!" Zane called out as his two monsters became one two-headed machine dragon with 2800 attack and 2100 defense, and Kristiann's life points rose to 7200. "Now, Cyber Twin Dragon, attack James's Luminous Soldier!" Zane commanded as his monster unleashed a burst stream of energy from one of its heads that consumed James's warrior, destroyed it, and reduced his life points to 6600.

"But you're not out of the woods yet, because Cyber Twin Dragon can attack twice per turn. Cyber Twin Dragon, take out Gemini Elf as well!" Zane added as his machine dragon again unleashed energy at Kristiann's spell casters, destroying them and reducing her life points further to 5700. "I end my turn with one card facedown." Zane concluded without further emotion. "Alright then, it's my time to shine." Kristiann stated as she drew a card. "And since I just drew a spell card, I can shine even brighter because I can draw another card." Kristiann explained as she drew again. "Now it's time for my Vampire Lord to really show his stuff. I activate the spell card Vampire Control! Now at the price of 1000 life points, all of your monsters are destroyed!" Kristiann called out dramatically as her vampire charged up energy and let it loose at the enemy side of the field, and her life points leveled out to 5200.

"Oh no, my Flora Queen Isis!" Becca exclaimed as her monster was struck by the energy wave and destroyed. "My monster's not going anywhere because I activate the spell De-Fusion, splitting my Cyber Twin Dragon into the two normal Cyber Dragons used to summon it. And without a target, all of my monsters are spared." Zane countered as his monster was split into the two original monsters, each with 2100 attack and 1600 defense. "I beg to differ Zane, at least one of your Cyber Dragons is going down this turn because my Vampire Lord still has an attack. Go, destroy one of Zane's Cyber Dragons!" Kristiann commanded as her monster unleashed more light and dark energy towards Zane's machine dragon. "Once again, you're one step behind. I activate Attack Reflector Unit!" Zane pointed out as he revealed his trap card. "By sacrificing one of my Cyber Dragons, I can special summon from my deck the Cyber Barrier Dragon in attack mode!" Zane explained as one of his monsters was swapped out for the shield machine dragon with 800 attack and 2800 defense. "Attack mode? Well that's ok, because my Vampire Lord is still stronger!" Kristiann pointed out. "That may be, but Cyber Barrier Dragon's special ability lets me negate one of your attacks once per turn, effectively ending your offense for now." Zane explained as his dragon activated its force field and negated Kristiann's attack.

"That was an impressive round. Zane really knows what he's doing." Echo commented from the sidelines. "Yes, but will it be enough to win out over the combined powers of James and Kristiann?" Pegasus questioned in reply. "Well he does have Becca on his side." Adrian pointed out. "Yes indeed, but can they sync up as well as the other two have. That will be the key to victory for this match." Pegasus again remarked. "I guess then there's nothing left for me to do except end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "If that's the best you can do, then maybe we have a shot after all." Becca remarked as she drew a card. "And what do you know? I also drew a spell card, so I'm able to draw again." Becca explained as she drew a second card. "And in case you're curious as to which spell card I drew, I'll show you right now. It's Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards, no questions asked." Becca stated as she drew more cards.

"And now it's time for me to make my big play and summon Legendary Heroine Magenta!" Becca called out as her female warrior emerged with 1700 attack and defense. "And as you may remember, Magenta gains 400 extra attack points if you have a continuous spell or trap card face up on the field." Becca added as her warrior's attack points rose to 2100. "Now go Magenta and show them why you're the real heroine here. Attack James directly!" Becca called out as her warrior charged. "I'm sorry Becca but your heroine isn't going to be the only warrior around here. At least not after, my Hero Emerges! Now you have to select a card from my hand, and if it's a monster, then I can summon it directly to the field. So which one will it be?" James asked after he activated his trap and held up his hand. "I choose the card on the far left." Becca pointed to the card. "Excellent choice, well for me anyways. Now I can summon to the field Gilford The Lightning!" James exclaimed happily as his lightning knight emerged with 2800 attack and 1400 defense.

"That warrior is pretty impressive, so I'm forced to halt my attack. But don't think it's over just because you got one good monster out. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Becca concluded. "Then its time for me to really shock you with my power." James stated as he drew a card. "Hmm, I drew a trap card, so this field spell doesn't do anything for me, but that doesn't mean I can't do any thing." James thought to himself as he set the newly drawn card and another from his hand facedown. "I told you my turn would be shocking. Gilford the Lightning, attack Legendary Heroine Magenta!" James commanded as his warrior prepared a lightning blast. "James, did you forget about my Cyber Barrier Dragon? Not only can it block attacks dealt to me, but I can also use its effects to protect my partner." Zane countered as his dragon raised up its force field and intercepted James's lightning strike attack. "You protected me. Thanks, Zane." Becca nodded in gratitude, to which Zane replied simply with a nod. "Well I guess those two do have some potential after all." Lance remarked from the sidelines. "Well then, I can't argue with that. I end my turn." James concluded. "Is that all? Well you're not the only one who can play on a good tag team." Zane stated flatly, but with a hint of affection, as he drew a card.

"Not only do I get a second card from drawing a spell card, but now that two turns have passed, my Different Dimension Capsule arrives with the card that I placed in it." Zane stated, serious again, as the capsule arrived and the card was granted to him along with the second draw. "I also activate the spell card Monster Reincarnation to discard one card, and add a monster from my graveyard back into my hand." Zane explained as he swapped out a card from his hand in exchange for the return of one of his Cyber Dragons. "And now it's time to unleash what my capsule held. I activate the spell card Power Bond!" Zane called out dramatically as he held up the card. "By fusing together the Cyber Dragon on the field with the two in my hand, I can call forth the one and only Cyber End Dragon!" Zane added as his signature three-headed machine dragon emerged with a roar and 4000 attack and 2800 defense. "And due to the effects of Power Bond, his attack points are doubled, meaning that you don't stand a chance against its ultimate strength!" Zane added as his monster's attack points rose to 8000. "That's one powerful monster Zane! But Kristiann and I can slay it together." James remarked confidently with a nod from his partner. "We will see about that James, because within the next few rounds, a true victor will be decided." Zane responded with the faint of a smile as the stunning rematch neared its climax.


	47. Chapter 47: Epic Finale

Chapter 47- Epic Finale

"8000 attack points? How are we going to get out of this one?" Kristiann exclaimed as she stared down the Cyber End Dragon in front of her and James. "The same way we always do, by working together." James replied with a smile and a thumbs-up. "I'm afraid that this time, nothing can save you from the wrath of my power. Cyber End Dragon, attack Vampire Lord with super strident blaze!" Zane commanded as his three-headed machine dragon unleashed a burst stream of energy from each head, all aimed directly at Kristiann's monster. "You say that nothing can save us, but I can at least save Kristiann's monster from your monster's attack. I activate my facedown card: Attack Guidance Armor!" James countered as his trap was revealed. "With this card, I can redirect your attack to any monster on my side of the field. I guess that means that I'll have to sacrifice my Gilford the Lightning." James explained as the menacing looking armor appeared on James's warrior's chest. "It doesn't matter, you still take the fall." Zane continued his attack as the blast hit James's warrior instead, vaporizing it on the spot and reducing James's life points to 500.

"Yes, but Kristiann's monster was spared and we're still in this duel." James stated as he recoiled from the attack and gave a smile to his partner. "For now, but chivalry doesn't come without its price; because now you're wide open for my second monster to attack you. Go Cyber Barrier Dragon, take him out with sonic shriek!" Zane commanded as his second machine dragon shot an air strike of sonic noise at James directly. "It's a good thing I still got one last trick up my sleeve. Since my life points are about to hit zero, I'd say this is just the emergency I need to activate this facedown card. What I mean by that is that I have a facedown spell card: Emergency Provisions!" James countered as his card flipped up. "Of course, I might need you to bail me out again, baby." James added with a wily grin. "Of course, baby, whatever you need." Kristiann replied with a smile. "But that's your card, can't only you use its effects?" Becca asked. "Kind of. See, in order to activate my Emergency Provisions cards, I need to sacrifice a spell or trap that's on our side of the field. And since I don't have any, I'll need to offer up my partner's Spell Absorption card." James explained as the card vanished from the field.

"And here's the kicker: now we gain 1000 life points back in addition to the 500 from the last effects of Spell Absorption." James explained as his life points rose to 2000. "Impressive, now you have enough to survive my attack. But it's still coming right for you!" Zane reminded as the energy wave hit James directly, knocking him to one knee and his life points to 1200. "But at least this duel is still on. Which is more than I can say for you because now that your turn is about to come to an end, the adverse effects of Power Bond kick in." James reminded his rivals with a grin. "Very good, you know that on the turn I activate Power Bond the original attacks points of my monster come out of my life points. But in that case, then you should also know that that damage can be avoided. I summon Cyber Kirin!" Zane called out as his machine dog emerged with 300 attack and 800 defense. "What good is that going to do you?" Kristiann questioned. "Because before I end my turn, I can tribute Cyber Kirin to negate all effect damage that comes to me this round. And that's exactly what I'll do to cancel out the Power Bond damage!" Zane explained as his Kirin vanished. "And with my life points safe, and yours on the edge, I end my turn." Zane concluded.

"Well this certainly is a tough spot, but I know we can get through it." Kristiann stated with determination as she drew a card. "And it all begins here. Since I just drew a monster card, I have to summon it this turn if any and at all possible. And believe me I can." Kristiann explained with a grin. "Kristiann, you know we've become pretty good friends over the course of this tournament and I admire what you duel for and your skills. But unfortunately there's not a single monster that I've seen that can get you out of this predicament." Becca stated with pride. "Then obviously you haven't seen my Arctic Princess!" Kristiann called as her icy girl emerged with 1800 attack and 500 defense. "Actually, I have, but what can she do here?" Becca questioned. "On her own, I'll be honest, not much. But when you factor in her special ability, she gets even more powerful. See, when Arctic Princess is summoned to the field, I can add one equip spell card from my deck right to my hand." Kristiann explained as she searched for the card, took it, and reshuffled. "And I think I'll activate said equip spell right away and give it to my Arctic Princess. Want to know what it is? It's Magical Ice Crystal!" Kristiann explained as her princess gained a beautiful crystal as a ring on its finger.

"Well it certainly looks pretty, but what does that crystal do if it doesn't raise any attack or defense points?" Becca asked curiously. "Well it is true that it doesn't give my princess any stat boosts, but it does have an even better effect: once per turn, I'm able to summon another monster right from my hand. And of course, every princess needs her royal guard." Kristiann explained. "Because I know, I'm not always enough." James interjected with a grin. "No, James, you're more than enough. But you can't attack like this monster can. Go Artia, the Royal Arctic Knight!" Kristiann responded as her female knight of ice emerged with 1500 attack and 800 defense. "I'm not that impressed." Zane remarked flatly. "Well you should be, because I've got you right where I want you, Zane. Artia, attack Cyber Barrier Dragon!" Kristiann commanded as her warrior unsheathed its ice blade and charged Zane's machine dragon.

"Block her attack!" Zane countered as his monster raised its force field and negated the blow. "Wait, why would she attack that monster if she knew that Zane would just block the attack? I don't get it." Lance commented from the bench. "Because Zane can only block one attack per turn. A second attack will destroy Cyber Barrier Dragon so that Zane can't block again. Smart move." Echo replied in slight admiration. "I may not fully understand what it is you stand for and duel for, but there's no denying your abilities. Go ahead and deliver the finishing blow to my monster." Zane stated with the faint of a smile. "Fine, I will. Arctic Princess, destroy Cyber Barrier Dragon!" Kristiann added as her princess shot an icy energy blast from her ring, striking the machine dragon and destroying it, reducing Zane's life points down to 4900. "But Cyber End Dragon still stands tall." Zane commented. "True, but I can still do some damage with my last attack. Sorry Becca, but Vampire Lord, attack Legendary Heroine Magenta!" Kristiann called as her monster prepared an energy burst.

"Actually Kristiann, I'm the one who's sorry, because your attack won't be hitting anything this turn. I activate my facedown card Graverobber! At the cost of 2000 of my life points, I can steal a card from any player's graveyard and use it as my own." Becca explained as her life points dropped to 2900 and a little gremlin appeared from the card with a laugh and floated towards James. "So thanks James for having a really awesome trap card that I can use. I use the effect of my little Graverobber to steal James's Exile to the Stratosphere card." Becca stated as the gremlin stole the card from James's duel disk and returned it to Becca. "And I'm sure you remember what this one does. To refresh your memory, it activates when you declare an attack and removes your monster from play as long as this trap card remains on the field and in effect." Becca explained as the trap activated on her side of the field. "But that means that…" Kristiann trailed off. "Yep, Vampire Lord is going on a little vacation." Becca finished with a chuckle as Kristiann's vampire monster was sucked into a dimensional hole in the sky and disappeared. "Hmm, very clever, Becca was able to use James's own card against her partner. A good move, but somehow I think that it's going to take more than a trap card to overpower a bond like theirs." Pegasus thought to himself from the sidelines.

"Everything's riding on this duel, Becca and we're not giving up now or ever." Kristiann stated with a determined smile. "I wouldn't want it any other way." Becca replied with a smile as well. "All right then, I guess I end my turn." Kristiann concluded. "Then it's time to end this duel!" Becca exclaimed as she drew a card. "And one last time, I get to draw one more card since I just drew a spell card." Becca explained as she drew a second card. "One last time? Why's that?" James asked. "Well for one, this duel is ending pretty soon, so it may be the last time a card is drawn. But more importantly, this field spell isn't going to last much longer because I'm trading it in for another one." Becca told them ominously. "Behold the final area of this tournament for you! I activate the field spell Epic Battleground!" Becca called out to the heavens as she slid the card into her duel disk and the dark forest around then slowly transformed. Now, they were dueling over a barren wasteland with dust slowly creeping on the ground. All around them were tattered flags and banners of war. "A war-torn battlefield… fitting for this rematch." Zane mused to himself. "Well I gotta say, Becca, this field spell is pretty cool." James commented with an amused smile.

"You haven't even seen what it does yet, but then again, I don't think you really want to." Becca responded as she glanced through her hand. "But first, I have another spell card to play. I activate Enchanting Fitting Room!" Becca called out as a red curtain rose up from the dusty ground. "Sounds fun." James joked. "Oh it is. See, at the cost of 800 life points, I can look at the top four cards of my deck and summon any level three or below normal monsters I find there." Becca explained as she glanced through the cards and her life points fell to 2100. "I reveal Enchanting Mermaid and Hyrule Guards!" Becca exclaimed as the curtain flew away with the wind and from where it was, a beautiful mermaid with 1200 attack and 900 defense and a group of armored guards with 1200 attack and 1600 defense emerged. "Alright, not bad, but somehow I think there's more to your strategy than just those two monsters." James pointed out.

"You're absolutely correct. It's time to sound the bells of war! I activate the effects of Epic Battleground!" Becca shouted dramatically as somewhere in the distance, a trumpet sounded and the wind picked up slightly. "This should be interesting." Lance stated from the sidelines. "This rematch is the most epic duel either of us have fought this whole tournament, and I'm going to do it justice. See, normally in order to summon a high level monster from my hand, I need to sacrifice some monsters first. I'm going to change that up a little though. Instead, I still have to sacrifice both of my monsters and my life points go down to 1000. But then I can summon directly from my deck my favorite monster, my key card, and my loyal character." Becca explained dramatically as both of her monsters vanished and her life points dropped to 1000. "Come forth, Legendary Heroine Summer!" Becca called out as her mighty female warrior rode in from the distance on a black steed. The horse rode away, but Summer remained, unsheathing her sword and standing tall with 2600 attack and 2300 defense. "That was pretty cool." Adrian remarked as well from the bench.

"That was pretty epic, you got your favorite monster out." Kristiann pointed out. "Exactly, and if you remember, she has a special ability too. When Legendary Heroine Summer is brought out for battle, I gain life points equal to the attack points of one monster on the field, any monster on the field." Becca explained as she looked at Zane, who nodded. "Oh no, that means…!" James trailed off. "Yes, we get 8000 life points, the same amount as the attack points of Cyber End Dragon!" Becca affirmed as her life points rose to 9000. "9000? Ah, if only it was a little over." Kristiann chuckled aloud. "Hmph, this is no laughing matter. There's no way you can defeat us now." Zane retorted flatly. "Exactly, and it's time for you to see how. Legendary Heroine Summer, attack Artia, the Royal Arctic Knight!" Becca commanded as her warrior charged Kristiann's knight, slashing it with a deadly blow and destroying it. "Well we have some tricks of our own, Becca. When Artia is on the field with Arctic Princess and is destroyed, I don't take any life point damage." Kristiann explained. "You may have survived this round, but the odds are still very much against you. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Becca concluded at last.

"Becca does have a point, the odds are certainly not in James and Kristiann's favor. But as an old acquaintance of mine once said, it's not over until the last card is played." Pegasus thought to himself. "Well you're right, and that's why we're going to have to make one heck of a comeback." James stated as he drew a card. "But I don't have a single monster in my hand that's strong enough to compete with either Zane's or Becca's." James thought to himself as he glanced over his hand. "Wait a minute! Becca's field spell!" James said to himself in realization of a plan. "Did you finally think of something?" Zane asked challengingly. "As a matter of fact, I did, and I'm going to use your own field spell against you." James revealed. "But how can you do that? You don't have any monsters on the field." Becca pointed out. "That may be, but by removing both a light monster and a dark monster from my graveyard from play, I can summon my own favorite monster. And since he's level eight, your field spell lets me do so right from my deck." James explained as the ghosts of Getsu Fuhma and Luminous Soldier emerged on the battlefield. "I remove these two monsters from play in order to call forth the ultimate warrior, Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning!" James exclaimed joyfully as the two phantoms warped into the sky and his life points fell to 1000. Then, with a flash of sunlight, James's favorite monster came down from the heavens with 3000 attack and 2500 defense.

"Impressive, that's James's favorite knight. Now they might stand a chance in this fight." Xime commented with slight admiration. "Yea but look at the score. It's 9000 life points to 1000! Those aren't very good odds, you know." Lance added. "I wouldn't count James and Kristiann out just yet. There's always room for a comeback. And I'd say they're on the way to that now." Echo stated in reply. "Talk about epic, now we definitely can win this!" James proclaimed confidently. "We will see about that. I remember from our last duel that your monster has two different effects it can use. The question is which one will you use. Either way, you can't get past our defenses." Zane remarked. "I do have two choices, but only one will let us win this match. Let's just hope I pick the right one." James replied. "He's right, I could attack Legendary Heroine Summer and then attack Becca directly, doing major damage. But she's got a trap card and if it delays the duel for just one turn, Cyber End Dragon will blast me next round. And if I know Becca, then that trap will certainly be able to help her." James thought to himself. "On the other hand, I could remove Cyber End Dragon from play, but then I couldn't attack this turn and Zane could make a comeback next round. And if I know Zane, then he's more than capable of doing that." James added in his head. "However maybe with this trap card, I'll have just the right stats in order to come out on top." James concluded his thoughts.

"Yea… Alright here goes nothing! First I set this card facedown." James said aloud as the mystery card emerged onto the field. "And then I activate the special ability of my Black Luster Soldier!" James added as his knight raised its now glowing blade. "Granted if I activate this effect my knight can't attack this turn, but it's well worth it, because now I can remove from play automatically one monster on the field." James explained with a smile. "Not bad." Zane stated without emotion in his voice, but with a hint of anger on his face. "I told you Zane, that I wouldn't hold back on you. We're friends, and that's why I'm gonna defeat right here and now. So say goodbye to your Cyber End Dragon!" James exclaimed as the machine dragon let out a roar and then vanished into the void. "You may have eliminated my strongest monster, but you haven't won this duel yet. I acknowledge you as a friend as well, but it's because of our rivalry that I will become victorious." Zane replied with the faint of a smile. The two stood there looking at each other in the same way for a moment until James spoke. "If that's how it is, then I wouldn't want it any other way. I end my turn." James concluded.

"Then allow me to show you my power!" Zane shouted as he drew a card. "First I activate the spell card Pot of Greed to draw two cards." Zane began as he drew more cards and momentarily glanced through them. "Hmph, you may think you've eliminated the threat my monster posed to you, but I'm afraid it's not gone yet. I activate Cybernetic Restoration!" Zane called out as he raised the card. "It costs 1500 of my life points, but it's well worth it to return one cyber monster that has been removed from play and return it to my deck. Or more specifically, my extra deck." Zane explained as he flashed them his Cyber End Dragon card and returned it to his deck and his life points dropped to 7500. "It may be back in your deck, but there's no guarantee that you can summon it yet. Especially since all three of your Cyber Dragons needed to fusion summon it are in your graveyard." Kristiann pointed out. "That's true, but I'm not going to let that stop me." Zane replied with a faint of a grin as he selected two cards from his hand.

"I combine the fusing powers of Polymerization with Cybernetic Fusion Support! And at the cost of half of my life points, I can remove fusion material monsters from my graveyard from play and summon a machine monster anyways." Zane explained as three Cyber Dragon cards returned from the graveyard slot in his duel disk and Zane and Becca's life points fell further to 3250. "Now once again, I fuse these three Cyber Dragons to summon the ultimate Cyber End Dragon!" Zane exclaimed dramatically as the wind picked up on the field and the great three-headed machine dragon emerged onto the field once again with 4000 attack and 2800 defense. "Not bad, but not quite as strong as last time." James remarked. "Perhaps, but it still has enough power to finish this duel. Cyber End Dragon, finish this with super strident blaze!" Zane commanded as his mechanical monster let out a cry and shot a blast of power aimed directly at Kristiann's Arctic Princess.

"Oh no, this can't end yet!" Kristiann exclaimed at the incoming attack. "Don't worry, babe we're not going anywhere. I activate my facedown card Spirit Barrier!" James interjected as a prism-like force field emerged around their side of the field. "This card stays on the field and protects both of us from battle damage as long as we have a monster out. And since my Black Luster Soldier is still around, he can protect my lady and negate all battle damage." James explained as his knight smiled faintly and raised its sword in a defensive fashion. Zane's attack hit the barrier, passed through and struck Kristiann's Princess, destroying it, but not causing any damage. "But you're monster is still destroyed, you've only delayed the inevitable." Zane remarked slightly angrily. "But it did more than just that. When Arctic Princess is destroyed, I'm able to summon my own favorite monster, the lady James's knight always protects." Kristiann added as she scanned her deck, selected a card, and reshuffled. "I summon Shining Arctic Queen in attack mode!" Kristiann called out as a large beam of light emerged from the ground and Kristiann's beautiful queen emerged on to the field with 2800 attack, boosted to 3300 with the still-active Essence of Light spell, and 1500 defense,.

"Impressive, I feel we're nearing the end of our duel." Zane commented with a slight sigh and very faint smile. "I agree, Zane. We all have our strongest, most favorite monsters out on the field. This is where it all comes down to it; this is what dueling is about. All of us giving our absolute best with what we truly believe in." Becca added as a slight breeze blew across the battleground. James and Kristiann turned to each other and nodded. "We couldn't agree more. Zane, Becca, this has really been an awesome tournament with you guys." James told them. "Yes, we've all had some really great moments, but remember, only one team gets to move on to the finals." Kristiann reminded them all. "Well then, why don't we finish this right here and now? I end my turn." Zane concluded flatly. "Alright, let's do this." Kristiann stated as she drew a card.

"This is it, Becca, I just drew what we needed to win this match once and for all." Kristiann stated with a slight grin. "Go ahead and play it then." Becca replied too with a grin as she snuck a quick look at her facedown card on the field. "I think I will. I equip my Shining Arctic Queen with Shining Regal Talisman!" Kristiann called out as a necklace appeared around her monster that emanated power. "If you think you've seen the true power of my Shining Arctic Queen, then you haven't seen anything yet. This spell increases her attack points by half of her original attack points, 1400 to be exact." Kristiann explained as her monarch's attack points rose to 4700. "Impressive, but we'll still be able to survive an attack." Becca commented. "You think so, but I didn't explain the second part of my equip spell's effect: now when my Shining Arctic Queen destroys a monster in battle, that monster's attack points come right out of your life points." Kristiann added with a smile. "Not bad, if that attacks hits, then James and Kristiann will win the duel." Echo stated after doing the math in her head.

"Then I guess this is it, old friend." Kristiann stated with a grin. "Yes, I guess so." Becca replied in the same way, to which Kristiann frowned for a second. "Alright then, here goes nothing. Shining Arctic Queen, attack Legendary Heroine Summer and end this!" Kristiann commanded as her queen charged an energy burst of light and then let it loose, heading directly for Becca's monster. "I said this is it, and it is. With this final trap card, this duel is about to come to a conclusion, one way or another. I activate Epic Cataclysm!" Becca proclaimed as she revealed her trap card and Kristiann's attack puttered to a halt. "Sounds awesome, but what does that card do?" James asked.

"What it does is end the duel. The question is: which team is the winner? See, I can only activate this when we each have at least a level seven monster on the field. Then all other cards on the field are destroyed and all of our life points also fade away." Becca explained. "But doesn't that mean it's a draw?" Kristiann asked confused. "Not exactly. I'm not going to make that mistake again. See also the total amount of our life points, the total attack points of all monsters, and 500 points for each spell or trap card on our respective sides of the field are added together into one total. Whichever team has the higher total is the ultimate winner of this duel." Becca continued. "Interesting, the duel will be decided by the total strengths of both duelists and cards. I like it." Zane commented with a smile towards Becca. "Alright then, Zane, it's time to give it all we've got. We've come so far together and I'm glad we can go all the way to the finals." Becca told him after blushing a bit. Zane simply nodded in reply. "Alright babe, you ready to show them what we can do together?" James asked his partner. "Of course, love, we can do anything together and I know we can get through this too." Kristiann replied with a loving smile.

"Then let's do this." James stated with determination. The other three nodded in reply. "But wait, I just did the math and Zane and Becca have more points than them. James and Kristiann will lose the duel!" Adrian exclaimed in realization. "You did that all in your head? Jeez." Lance remarked smartly, only to be hushed by Pegasus. "This is what tag battle dueling is all about: both partners, giving it their all. I'm glad we're able to witness that here." Pegasus told them. "I hope you're watching Cecelia, we used to be like this…" Pegasus added in his head. "Cyber End Dragon!" Zane shouted. "Shining Arctic Queen!" Kristiann also shouted. "Legendary Heroine Summer!" Becca exclaimed. "And Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning!" James exclaimed last. "Give it all you've got!" All four duelists shouted in unison.

At once, Cyber End Dragon and Shining Arctic Queen unleashed their energy blasts at each other, which collided at the center of the battlefield. Then Black Luster Soldier raised its blade and sent a shock wave of energy at the connection. Finally, Legendary Heroine Summer charged forward and struck the collection of energy with her blade. The combination of attacks caused a massive burst of energy that enveloped the entire field, making it impossible to see. "This is it, only one team will emerge victorious from this. The question is which one?" Echo asked dramatically as the entire room was covered with the white light from the explosion.


	48. Chapter 48: Never Too Late for a

Chapter 48- Never Too Late for a Comic Relief Villain

"Well what gives? Who won?" Lance asked impatiently as the light began to fade and smoke began to clear. "It was to be expected I suppose. Good job you two." Pegasus thought proudly to himself as all of the debris faded away and the arena was once again the hall of Pegasus's castle with only Black Luster Soldier and Shining Arctic Queen remaining on the dueling field. "We won? I mean, of course we won! Whoa yea!" James cheered to the slightly shocked faces of Zane and Becca. "But how did your monsters survive? We had more points than you!" Becca questioned confusedly. "Technically speaking, I guess you did have more points. But remember that last trap card destroyed all other cards on the field, including Exile to the Stratosphere. And when that was destroyed, Vampire Lord was released, giving us an extra 2000 points, just enough to pull ahead." Kristiann explained with a grin and a flashback. "A surprising turn of events... I admit defeat with pride." Zane sighed as all of the holograms vanished.

"And the winner of this semifinal match is the team of James and Kristiann!" Croquet declared with a raise of his arm. "We won!" Kristiann exclaimed as she ran to and embraced her partner, who returned the affection. "Hehe, I knew we would, nothing could stop us!" James added gleefully. "It was an honorable duel, you should be proud of yourself." Zane told Becca as he walked over to her. "I am; we put in a good effort. We did our best and that's what counts." Becca replied with a sigh. "Are you disappointed that we lost?" Zane asked flatly. "A little bit, but somehow it's ok. I'm glad we got to duel together though." Becca admitted with a smile. "…As am I." Zane responded, trying to hide his emotions. "Bravo, what an excellent duel that was! I thoroughly enjoyed it." Pegasus stated in a loud voice and he stood up and clapped. "Thanks, that was pretty cool, wasn't it?" James replied proudly. "Indeed, but don't forget that that was only the first of the semifinal matches. There are still the finals of this tournament for the most epic showdown to take place. But before that, there is also one more semifinal match to determine who will face James and Kristiann at the last stage." Pegasus reminded them all.

"And I think we know who those teams are. So without further ado, I believe we should move on to the second semifinal match." Pegasus continued and James, Kristiann, Zane, and Becca walked over to the bench where Pegasus and the others were. "Alright, it's time for the real party to begin." Lance snickered as he and Xime stood up. "I must say, that last duel was so inspiring, I'm glad we're up next." Echo stated as well as she and Adrian stood up. "Will both of the dueling teams please take your places." Croquet urged as Lance, Xime, Adrian, and Echo began walking to the main duel arena. "This should be interesting as well. I've known of Adrian for a while, and there's no doubt that he has some skill." Zane commented. "That's true, we saw him dueling earlier too. He and Echo really owned those random kids in yellow and red. Besides Lance and Xime are kind of jokes anyway." Kristiann added. "Yea, but I wouldn't count them out just yet. They may just surprise us." James cautioned. "I doubt it." Becca said skeptically. "I doubt it too, but hey, it could happen." James laughed in reply.

"So you guys ready to get owned?" Adrian asked them mockingly. "At the end of this duel, we'll see who is groaning. After all, it is us that will do the owning." Xime retorted. "All right, we'll see." Echo chuckled as both teams took their respective places at opposites ends of the dueling field. "Enough with all of these pleasantries, Adrian Gecko, it's time for our revenge!" Lance snapped and shouted loudly at his opposition. "What are you talking about?" Adrian asked confusedly. "What I'm talking about is… sigh. Let me guess, you don't even remember us do you?" Lance asked the two who looked at him hard. "I think we saw you on the boat here once, but other than that and this tournament, no." Adrian admitted. "Yea of course not, most say we're not worth the fuss. In fact most people we've met don't remember us." Xime sighed. "That's kind of sad." Echo conceded. "Yea, it is sad. Especially since we've met before this whole tournament began. You really can't think of where, Adrian Gecko?" Lance asked again angrily. "No, sorry guy, but I really can't. You can go on a dramatic monologue to explain it though if you want." Adrian told his soon to be opponent.

"Fine, I think I will! Well as it turns out, your family, Adrian, was sponsoring the production of a killer movie that's supposed to be coming out soon. It was gonna be called _Nightmare Storm _and it was gonna be the next best thing." Lance began his rant. "Nightmare Storm… now that's a cool name." James commented from the sidelines. "Yea it is cool, loser, now can I continue?" Lance shouted to the slightly startled boy before continuing. "Thank you. Anyways, there were going to be open auditions for the roles of two of the best villains in the movie. Of course, when Xime and I heard this, we jumped at the chance. We'd been friends for a while and we knew this was our big chance to finally do something great. You were there by the way, Adrian, though I doubt you really care. Anyways, we tried out for it. And you know what; it was close too, came right down to two sets of people." Lance told them all. "Indeed we thought our chance had come, but we didn't know the future would be glum." Xime added. "I'm guessing you guys didn't get the part." Echo tried to fill in. "Gee, how'd you guess that? No we didn't get the parts, they picked those other two losers instead of us! But you know what, that's not the worst part of it." Lance continued.

"Not only did we not get our roles, but they told us that we just weren't real villain material, that we should stick to just being comic-relief villains. Yea, we were insulted, but we figured hey, maybe we could be famous for that. So your stupid company, Adrian, directed us to a different movie company. We hadn't heard of it, but hey it could be worth something, right? Wrong! Xime and I did star in this lame movie called _The Race for the Ruby_ but the movie flopped and as the lame villains of that movie, we were made a laughing stock." Lance exclaimed. "I'll be honest, I haven't even heard of that movie." Kristiann whispered to James. "I saw it once, but man was it awful." James whispered back. "And ever since then, everyone makes fun of us for being comic-relief villains, not even real ones. That's why we decided to take up dueling instead, to have a chance to make it big at something else. But look at us! Even in this tournament we're second rate. We're always late, we're always getting into trouble, and we're not nearly as cool as Zane or anyone. I mean seriously, we had to duel that freaky guy and the princess wannabe before even getting into the castle!" Lance pointed out. "He's got a point. It's not easy to be as cool as me." Zane remarked flatly, to which Becca rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry, you guys just don't have what it takes, but none of that is really my fault at all, so why the grudge?" Adrian asked matter-of-factly. "You know what, Adrian, I'm not personally mad at you. I don't hold a personal grudge against you. But to Xime and I, you represent all of our failures and the fact that everyone makes fun of us!" Lance shouted back. "Or maybe you guys are just destined to be comic-relief villains." Adrian suggested with a wily smile. "Yea well, maybe. But by defeating you and your little girlfriend here, Xime and I can raise above all that and actually be something." Lance conceded. "Well then why are we just standing here talking about it? Let's get this duel started!" Echo urged. "You know for once, I couldn't agree more. Let's draw our cards and set the score." Xime agreed as he activated his duel disk. The other three followed suit and activated their duel disks as well. "Well I guess everybody is ready then?" Croquet asked the four. "Of course, the sooner we get this started, the sooner we can beat these clowns and move on to real opponents." Adrian replied sarcastically. "You'd better watch your step, Adrian. We haven't exactly been awesome this entire story, but we practiced like crazy last night. We're ready, so don't you dare underestimate us." Lance snapped. "I'll believe it when I see it." Echo rolled her eyes. "Ahem, if everybody is ready, then let us begin this semifinal match between Adrian and Echo, and Lance and Xime. Players, begin when ready." Croquet announced. "At our amazing abilities, try not to drool. The time has come to rock this duel!" Xime exclaimed as all four of them drew their opening hands and both team's life points were set to 8000. "Let's duel!" Lance, Adrian, and Echo all shouted in unison, beginning the second semifinal match.

"Can we all agree on ladies first?" Adrian asked everyone in a gentlemanly manner. "Of course we can, it's only right, later we can crush you with our might." Xime replied. "You didn't have to do that, but thanks. I'll begin!" Echo stated dramatically as she drew a card. "I hope you won't be too shocked when you see this monster, but I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan in attack mode!" Echo called out as her electric drum player emerged with 1900 attack and 800 defense. "That's a strong monster. And she summoned it on the first turn too!" Becca commented. "Yes, I wonder if thunder monsters are the theme of her deck then." Zane added. "It would make sense considering Adrian uses cloud monsters. Guess we'll find out." James also commented. "Next I'll put this spell card into play: Thunder Sniper!" Echo proclaimed as a spell card emerged onto the field as well as a dark cloud over Echo's head. "And what exactly does that card do?" Lance questioned. "Since I can't activate it until next turn, you'll find out then. But don't worry, my Thunder Nyan Nyan should be more than enough to keep you occupied for now. If not, then I set this card facedown." Echo told him as a mystery card emerged onto the field. "And that's all for now. I end my turn." Echo concluded.

"Well we'll just see about that. It's my move!" Lance remarked as he drew a card. "Ha I told you losers that we've been training. Everything Xime and I have been through has led up to this duel. And we're really gonna let you have it!" Lance told them confidently as he scanned his hand. "And to drive my point home, I summon Bowganian!" Lance called out as his one-eyed, crossbow-wielding machine emerged with 1300 attack and 1000 defense. "Nice try, but that monster is way weaker than mine." Echo pointed out. "Well gee, you think? That's why he's got a special ability, and with it, he doesn't need high attack points. See once per turn, Bowganian can nail your life points directly for 600 points." Lance explained. "So Bowganian, give Adrian what was coming to him!" Lance commanded as his machine took aim and fired an arrow that hit Adrian, causing him to flinch and his life points to drop to 7400.

"Alright, ha! Our comeback starts here! Now you'll see that we're nothing to be messed with. We might have been just comic relief villains in the past, but this time we're taking the stage, and we're taking it by force. I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Lance concluded with a smug grin. "He's right in a sense. They do seem to have gained considerable skill from the last time they dueled." Zane commented. "That's not saying much." Becca added sarcastically. "You might be on to something. After all, it's only the first round and Lance and Xime actually have the lead in points. Adrian and Echo are going to have to be careful if they want to win this duel." James agreed. "I don't claim to know one way or another. Adrian and Echo do have the experience, but Lance and Xime have prime motivation. Anything can happen in this duel. We'll just have to wait and see how things play out." Pegasus thought to himself as the second semifinal match continued.


	49. Chapter 49: Bolt Out of Hell

Chapter 49- Bolt Out of Hell

"You may have taken an early lead, but this duel is just getting started." Adrian remarked as he drew a card. "And I think now's about the time for the storm to start rolling in for you." Adrian stated as he glanced through his hand. "And just what does that mean?" Lance snapped at him. "It means that I'm summoning my Cloudian- Altus to the field in attack mode!" Adrian called out as his rather fat cloud creature emerged with 1300 attack and 0 defense. "And of course by summoning my Cloudian monster means that I can put one fog counter on him." Adrian added as his monster attained a glowing mini-cloud to stand for the counter. "Yea, a whole lot of good that'll do you." Lance remarked sarcastically. "It will actually. Especially when I activate my Flash Flood spell card! See with this card, Cloudian- Altus gains 300 attack points for every fog counter on it." Adrian explained as his monster's attack points were temporarily raised to 1600. "Oh now I get it." Lance said flatly.

"Exactly. Sorry to rain on your parade, but now my monster has more attack points than yours. Cloudian- Altus, attack Bowganian!" Adrian commanded as his fat cloud man sucked in air and then blew a burst of it out at Lance's one-eyed machine monster. "Aha, nice try, Adrian, but I figured you'd have a cute little plan ready. That's why I perfectly set up my trap card to activate now. Go Enchanted Javelin!" Lance called out as his facedown card was revealed. "And here's what this thing does: it increases our life points by the same amount of attack points as your monster. Whoa yea, major boost!" Lance explained enthusiastically as his life points rose to 9600. "Wow, it's over 9000. Wait a minute, that card increases your life points, but it doesn't actually block my attack, does it?" Adrian pointed out with a slight grin. "Uh… no." Lance admitted in realization. "Then my attack is still on!" Adrian continued as his wind strike blew Lance's monster away, destroying it and reducing their life points to 9300.

"Alright, so we made one mistake, but believe me, we can make up for it." Lance remarked. "Oh really?" Echo inquired. "Yea really, check this out!" Lance retorted as his second facedown card was flipped up. "It's my Time Machine trap and it activates whenever one of my monsters is destroyed." Lance explained as a large metal capsule emerged from the ground. "That's kind of cool I guess. Is this card as weak as the last one was?" Adrian asked factiously. "As a matter of fact it is. I mean it's not! No, it's not! See Time Machine lets me bring back the monster you just destroyed." Lance replied slightly flustered as his Bowganian emerged from the metal capsule with its same 1300 attack and 1000 defense. "Alright, not too bad I guess. But this storm isn't blowing over just yet. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Adrian concluded. "Ha, but don't forget that now the effects of your Flash Flood spell have ran out, so you're monster gets weak again." Lance laughed as Adrian's cloud monster's attack points returned to their normal 1300.

"Here's our big chance, Xime. Take it away!" Lance offered as he raised his arm to his partner encouragingly. "Do not worry, I won't fail you, Lance. We have to win now, here's our chance!" Xime called out as he drew a card. "We're taking power, just as I said. The Six Samurai- Nisashi will leave you for dead!" Xime proclaimed as his twin blade-wielding wind ninja emerged with 1400 attack and 700 defense. "We're going to make it big, I haven't a doubt. Six Samurai- Nisashi, take Adrian out!" Xime commanded as his warrior unsheathed both of its blades and charged Cloudian- Altus. "I'm not too concerned, after all, my Cloudian still has its special ability to rely on. In other words, Altus can't be destroyed in battle." Adrian explained as his cloud monster was struck, but not destroyed as the cloud particles in it rearranged themselves. "I'm not worried either, we have power galore. Plus, points are still deducted from your score." Xime reminded with a smirk as Adrian's life points fell to 7300. "It's only a matter of time until you take the fall. The spell card Six Samurai United will soon make you crawl." Xime added as his spell card emerged onto the field. "Now for every Six Samurai I place on the field, one bushido counter on this, it does yield. For your destruction we do so yearn, but that'll have to wait because I set this facedown and end my turn." Xime explained and concluded his turn with a mystery card on the field.

"They keep talking about how they've improved so much, but they continue to make foolish errors." Zane stated flatly from the sidelines. "What do you mean, Zane?" Becca asked him. "If Xime had played Six Samurai United first and then summoned Nisashi, he would have already gotten a counter on that spell card. Basically what I'm saying is that they're all talk and haven't really improved all that much." Zane explained. "I'll say, but compared to Lance, Xime doesn't really say that much at all." Kristiann pointed out. "Well yea, if I had to speak in rhymes all the time I wouldn't talk much either. It must be tough." James chuckled in reply. "Of course they lack true skills, but I wouldn't count those two out just yet." Pegasus admonished the other four. "Of course, I'm just saying that out of pity. In reality, Adrian and Echo have every advantage. If Lance and Xime don't seriously step it up, and fast, then I'm afraid they don't stand a chance." Pegasus corrected himself to which everyone else chuckled a little.

"If you're done, then allow me to zap some life into this duel!" Echo stated as she drew a card. "Actually I think I'm going to literally do that, because now I can activate the effects of the Thunder Sniper spell I put into play last turn." Echo began to explain as a peal of thunder rumbled. "Sounds intimidating, but I'm not too scared." Lance remarked. "Well I think you should be. See how it works is that I have to guess a card in your hand and if I'm right, then you lose 500 life points." Echo explained. "Ha, well what are the odds of you guessing a card in my hand?" Lance laughed in relief. "Not bad actually, considering years of working with Adrian have heightened my sense of intuition and inference. What I'm saying is that I can perfectly guess a card in your hand." Echo smirked back. "Oh yea? Prove it!" Lance snapped back. "I will. I remember from the very beginning of the finals of this tournament what your favorite monster is. Knowing what monster that is of course, I know that you can only summon it with a ritual card, so it might be in your hand for a while until you draw the ritual spell card needed to summon it. Basically what I'm saying is that you have Dokurorider in your hand right now." Echo deduced as she pointed right at her opponent. "…Yea, you're right." Lance finally sighed after a moment's pause. "I knew it! Now you can say goodbye to 500 of your life points." Echo called out as she turned her point up to the cloud above her. In a flash, a bolt of lightning loosed from the menacing cloud and struck Lance, reducing his life points to 8800.

"Is that all you got? I'll bet you can't do it again." Lance remarked challengingly as he recoiled from the last blow. "Not by a long shot, but I can do that again, every turn as long as my spell card is in play actually. But I'll save that shock again for next turn. For now, I'll summon my Snipe Hunter in attack mode!" Echo called out as her espionage fiend emerged with a 1500 attack and 600 defense. However at that moment, Echo's other monster left out a small scream and was destroyed instantly. "Whoa, wait, what just happened? Why did Echo's monster suddenly get destroyed?" Becca asked confusedly from the sidelines. "I was kind of wondering the same thing." Lance admitted flatly. "Haven't you guys ever heard of a special ability? If I have a non-light monster on the field at the same time as my Thunder Nyan Nyan, then she automatically gets destroyed. And since Snipe Hunter is a dark monster, that effect just got activated." Echo explained. "And you say to us that we're not smart, but destroying your own monster was stupid in the art." Xime laughed. "Oh really? I may have destroyed Thunder Nyan Nyan, but I think I've gained something a little stronger. See, when a thunder monster on my side of the field is destroyed, I can automatically special summon this guy right from my hand. Go Thunder Avenger!" Echo called out as her super-powered electric monster emerged with 2100 attack and 1000 defense.

"And he's got a special ability as well, two actually. First off when Thunder Avenger is summoned to the field, you automatically take 500 points of direct damage." Echo began with a smirk as her human-shape monster smacked the ground, sending a shock wave of electricity directly at Lance, eventually striking him, and reducing his life points to 8300. "I'm sure its second ability can't be too bad then." Lance panted as he recoiled from the blow. "Oh it is. Whenever this monster destroys one of yours, you automatically lose 500 life points, no questions asked. Which reminds me of course, I can attack you right now. But first off, I'll take out your lame Bowganian monster, but not with an attack." Echo stated with a slight grin. "And just how do you plan on doing that? I don't think you can without an attack." Lance retorted. "I beg to differ because in case you haven't noticed, special abilities can do a variety of things. And Snipe Hunter has one that can destroy your monster, maybe. Here's how it works: one random number between one and six is selected and if that number is not a one or six, then your monster is automatically destroyed. So let's roll the dice here, shall we?" Echo explained as a number-randomizer popped up on her monster's gun.

The numbers flashed across the device quickly until they finally stopped, revealing the number four on the weapon. "And the numbers are in, meaning that Snipe Hunter can use its special ability to wipe out your Bowganian right here and now. Take it away!" Echo stated as the little fiend chuckled a little and shot a yellow laser beam at Lance's one-eyed machine, vaporizing it instantly. "Alright, lucky shot, but not too bad." Lance remarked angrily. "Maybe that was a little lucky, but this is all skill. Snipe Hunter, attack Lance directly!" Echo commanded as her monster fired another yellow laser, this time striking Lance himself, reducing his life points to 6800. "And let's not forget about the real hero of thunder. Thunder Avenger, follow suit and also attack Lance directly!" Echo again commanded as her thunder warrior jumped up and dashed towards her opponent, striking him with a kick and reducing his life points further to 4700. "I think I've done enough damage now for one round, so I'll conclude my turn with one last card facedown." Echo finished her turn with a serious half-smirk.

"You think you're so tough, don't you? Well you're wrong, we're winning this duel!" Lance snapped as he drew a card. "First, I gotta strengthen my hand though, and this Pot of Greed card will let me do that by allowing me to draw two cards." Lance stated a little quickly as he drew two cards from his deck. "You know, you keep going on and on about winning this duel and getting better, but so far I'm not impressed. I'm starting to think you're really just all talk." Adrian told his opponents. "Oh yea? Well I don't care if you're tired of our talk, because I'm tired of you thinking you're better than everyone! But like I said, and keep saying for that matter, I'm wiping that smirk clean off your face." Lance retorted with malice. "But this time, Adrian, I have the strength to back up my talk. Like your little girlfriend was saying last round, I needed a ritual spell card to summon my favorite and most powerful monster. Well guess what, loser? I've just drawn that card right now! Bear witness to the sheer power of Revival of Dokurorider!" Lance exclaimed dramatically as he raised the card up high and threw it into his duel disk. "First off, I'll sacrifice this Gadget Soldier whatever, in order to call forth Dokurorider! Rev it up, man, take back the fear!" Lance exclaimed in glee as there was a slight rumbling of the ground and a part of it burst forth, allowing the skeleton motorcycle rider to come revving in with 1900 attack and 1850 defense.

"Not bad, I'm a little impressed, but not too much. Because once again, you failed to add my facedown card into your calculations, and now you'll pay for it. I activate my facedown card Shocking Trap Hole!" Echo countered as she flipped up her trap card. "At the mere cost of discarding a card from my hand, this trap makes your Dokurorider lose 500 attack points and then you lose 500 life points to boot. Hope you're not too shocked by that!" Echo explained as a circle of electricity consumed Lance's monster, reducing its attack points to 1400. Then some of the thunder defected from the circle and struck Lance, reducing his life points to 4200. "Ha, wrong! I'm not about to be zapped by that little thing. Your trap is pretty much useless because I have another spell card that's about to really rev up my A game!" Lance replied with a smirk. "I equip… wait, am I allowed to say this?" Lance second guessed himself. "If this has a K+ rating, I think you'll be ok." Adrian replied. "Ok then, thanks loser. I activate Hell Rider Armor and equip it to my Dokurorider!" Lance called out with an evil laugh as his ordinary skeleton rider burst into flames and turned into a flaming skeleton rider on a flaming, wicked bike.

"Well that certainly looks cool, but what can it really do?" Zane asked no one in particular from the sidelines. "Now that my rider has reached max potential his stats get a major boost! For starters, it totally negates the points that Echo's lame trap zapped away. But then it does something even cooler: it transfers all of Dokurorider's defense points and adds them to his attack points. How's that for power?" Lance explained with enthusiasm as his monster's new stats became 3750 attack and 0 defense. "Wow, I'll admit, not bad, I'm actually kind of impressed with that." Becca admitted from the sidelines. "Haha, yea, and now it's time to use all that power to ride all over you! Dokurorider, demolish Snipe Hunter!" Lance commanded as his monster revved up its engine and then took off like a bat out of hell towards Echo's monster, pile-driving into it to destroy it, and reducing Echo's life points to 5050. "You believe me now about winning this duel?" Lance asked smugly as his monster drove back to his side of the field. "I'll admit, you may have more skill than I originally thought, but that's not saying much. We've taken down much tougher opponents than you to be honest. This duel is far from over." Adrian replied with slight determination. "Yea, we'll see about that, 'cause I'm about to ride all over you and this duel! I end my turn for now. There'll be plenty of time to finish you off later." Lance concluded with a smirk.


	50. Chapter 50: Cloud Connected

Chapter 50- Cloud Connected

"Whoa, really? We get three chapters for this duel? That's pretty sweet!" Lance remarked happily. "Can we stop breaking the fourth wall and continue this duel? I believe it's my turn." Adrian stated as he drew a card. "And I'm sorry to say, but I'm about to cast a shadow on your big play. That was weird, I just sounded like Xime there for a minute. Anyways, I've got just the card to do that. I put into play my Summon Cloud spell card." Adrian called out as a large cloud with sunlight filtering through it appeared above his head. "Ha summon whatever you want, it won't make a difference against my kind of power." Lance laughed mockingly. "Fine then, I will. I use the effects of Summon Cloud to special summon one Cloudian monster directly from my hand, namely my Cloudian- Acid Cloud!" Adrian called out as his green, funnel-headed cloud creature emerged with 500 attack and 0 defense. "Ha, big deal… oh wait, let me guess, special ability, right?" Lance asked slightly disappointed. "That's exactly right! When Acid Cloud is summoned to the field, he automatically gains one fog counter for every Cloudian on the field. And he plus Altus means Acid Cloud gains two fog counters." Adrian explained as two little clouds floated around his new monster.

"That ability doesn't exactly mow us flat, I'm sure there's more to it than that." Xime commented. "Actually, yes there is, because if I remove both of the fog counters on it, my Acid Cloud can destroy one spell or trap card on your side of the field. And you know what that means." Adrian explained with a knowing smile. "What… oh no, that means you can destroy Dokurorider's armor!" Lance exclaimed in realization. "Exactly, take it away, Acid Cloud!" Adrian called out as his monster's counters faded away and it shot a gust of sick-looking wind towards Lance's monster. "You think you're clever, I haven't a doubt, but don't worry, Lance, I'll bail you out. The target of your move I can re-map, by instead activating my Fake Trap. Now instead of sad, we are overjoyed, but this worthless card is instead destroyed." Xime explained with a smug smile as the wind blast turned and hit Xime's revealed trap, destroying it instead of Lance's equip spell. "I have to give a little credit to them here. After all teamwork is a key part of all this and they're finally starting to show that." James commented. "Yes, but can they keep it up? I admit I'm a bit skeptical of their skills, in that regard and in plain dueling strategy." Zane stated in reply.

"That wasn't a bad move, but don't think the clouds have lifted just yet. In fact, it's only just picking up. I sacrifice both Cloudian- Altus and Cloudian- Acid Cloud in order to summon Cloudian- Nimbusman!" Adrian called out as a whirlwind took both of his monsters away and replaced them with a different cloud man with 1000 attack and defense points. "That monster's not bad, don't get me wrong, but I must admit it's not too strong." Xime pointed out. "Well of course not, but as you well know, weak monsters usually have good special abilities. And Nimbusman has one that increases his attack points by 500 for every fog counter on him. Oh, and he also gets one fog counter for every monster I gave up to summon it. I'll let you do the math, if you can." Adrian explained with a faint smile as his monster's attack points rose to 2000. "Now let's bring the storm to you. Cloudian- Nimbusman, attack The Six Samurai- Nisashi!" Adrian commanded as his cloud man blew a gust of sparkling wind at the ninja warrior, destroying it with a cry, and Xime's life points fell to 3600.

"I think that's enough bad weather for one turn, and bad cloud references. I end my turn." Adrian concluded. "Then allow me to go, it can't be hard. I begin my turn and draw a card." Xime stated as he did as he said. "We'll win this duel with mind or brawn. To help me I summon The Six Samurai- Kamon!" Xime called out as his pyrotechnic ninja warrior emerged with 1500 attack and 1000 defense. "And of course by summoning a six samurai to the field, one more bushido counter my spell card does yield. It's got two counters now, you may check, so I'll discard it and draw two cards from my deck." Xime explained as his spell card shattered and he did indeed draw two cards. "It's time I leave you both in dishevel, so watch as I take it to the next level. I activate my trap Ultimate Offering and when it's in play, I can give up 500 life points to make another monster stay. So I'll activate that now, for doom on you, and summon The Six Samurai- Irou!" Xime called out as his life points fell to 3100 and the dark ninja warrior emerged to the field with 1700 attack and 1200 defense. "But that's not all, now we've struck the hour. It's time to show you my fullest power. Prepare yourselves for this epic scene, as I special summon Great Shogun Shien!" Xime called out as a gong sounded and a red portal opened up in ground from which light smoke and the great warrior emerged with 2500 attack and 2400 defense.

"Wait, how did Xime summon that monster without giving up life points?" Kristiann asked no one in particular. "Because Great Shogun Shien can be special summoned right from the hand as long as Xime has at least two Six Samurai monsters already on the field, and he wouldn't need any sacrifices or the use of his Ultimate Offering trap. It's almost a remarkable play he just made." Pegasus explained and commented. "Yea, maybe there is something to this whole talking in rhymes thing." James joked. "I don't know, personally I find it kind of annoying." Becca added, to which Zane nodded in agreeance. "I don't mind your comments because I still hold the upper hand. Now it's time to really own this dueling land. With its special ability and withholding an attack, The Six Samurai- Kamon can leave your facedown smack. So go Kamon and throw your fireworks grenade, and make Echo's facedown become so unmade!" Xime commanded as his warrior let out a manly snicker and threw a firecracker at Echo's facedown card, destroying it with an explosion. "And now that your defenses are down, Great Shogun Shien, make Thunder Avenger the clown." Xime added as his mighty warrior let out a battle cry and unsheathed its blade. Then with a charge, it ran at Echo's thunder monster and slashed it right across, destroying it and reducing Echo's life points to 4650. "Now let's add to damage and attack once again. The Six Samurai- Irou, go promote our reign!" Xime continued as his dark warrior slammed Echo's with its stave, lowering her life points further to 2950.

"Echo, you alright over there?" Adrian asked in sympathy. "Yea, I'm fine. That wasn't a bad move though." Echo replied as she recoiled from the blow. "Yes it was, we'll win I vow. I set one card facedown and finish for now." Xime concluded his turn with a grin. "I don't think so; this duel is far from over!" Echo retaliated as she drew a card. "Yea that may be, but the cards are in our favor for now. And it's about time too, haha!" Lance laughed arrogantly. "I wouldn't be laughing just yet. In case you've forgotten my Thunder Sniper spell is still in play, so if I can correctly guess a card in your hand, you get hit for 500 points of damage." Echo reminded her opponents. "Oh right… wait a minute, you can't activate that now! You can't activate that card unless you have a thunder monster on your side of the field. Nice try though, you almost had me fooled." Lance laughed in relief. "I wasn't trying to trick you. In fact, I can special summon a thunder monster right now from my graveyard. See, if Little Bolt is in my graveyard and I don't have any monsters on the field, I can special summon it right to the field." Echo explained as her tiny thunder cat emerged with 200 attack and 100 defense. "Ha, that little thing couldn't even make a spark on my Dokurorider!" Lance laughed again. "That may be, but I don't plan on using it to attack you, just to be able to use Thunder Sniper. Of course, I also have to guess a card in your hand, which may be difficult, but that's where this comes in: my Reconnaissance Mission trap card!" Echo called out as a card came out of the graveyard slot in her duel disk.

"I understand for victory you yearn, but I destroyed that card last turn." Xime pointed out. "Yes that's true, but by removing it from play when it's in my graveyard, I can activate its effects anyways. Don't worry, it's a simple trap though, it just lets me look at one card in my opponent's hand. And that's conveniently just what I need. So let's see it, Lance." Echo explained with a smirk. "Remarkable, Echo is able to use a bunch of different effects of cards that aren't even on the field. A good strategy for sure." Pegasus commented from the sidelines. "Yea, funny how you get exactly what you need when you need it. That's why you good guys always win. But not this time! Here take a look at this; I can take the hit." Lance said frustrated as he showed her the only card in his hand. "Thanks for that. Now I can exactly guess the card in your hand. It's Pumpking the King of Ghosts!" Echo proclaimed as she pointed at her adjacent opponent. "Gee, I wonder how you guessed that." Lance stated flatly and sarcastically. "It doesn't matter, because you still get zapped." Echo replied as a bolt of lightning went flying from the cloud above Echo's head and stuck Lance, dropping his life points to 2600.

"But don't think I'm done just yet. I activate…" Echo began, but was interrupted by Xime raising his hand. "I'm afraid because of my monster's effect, whatever you're about to play won't connect. As long as Shien is still around, you can only activate one spell or trap every round." Xime explained with a confident smirk. "Alright then, that's not too big of a deal, because I have a different card to beat you with, and this one is a monster, my favorite one to be exact." Echo responded as she glanced through her hand and picked out a card. "By removing from play one thunder monster on the field, namely Little Bolt, and one thunder monster from my graveyard, namely Thunder Nyan Nyan, I can special summon to the field my most powerful monster." Echo began as a peal of thunder rumbled somewhere and Echo's monster disappeared. "Come forth, Queen of the Thunder!" Echo called out dramatically as the dark cloud above her head opened up and the mighty, beautiful electric queen arrived on a yellow cloud with 2700 attack and 1700 defense. "Are you shocked yet? If not, then allow me to blast you out of this duel. Queen of the Thunder, attack Great Shogun Shien with perfect lightning strike!" Echo commanded as her monster raised its hand and sent bolts flying towards Xime's warrior.

"If my monster's ability you did inspect, you'd know your attack I can redirect. So instead you'll hit another Six Samurai, but I'm afraid I cannot let that fly. With my facedown trap card Retreat of the Six, I can return both warriors to my hand, making your attack nix." Xime countered as both of his Six Samurai monsters returned to his hand and Echo's attack harmlessly hit the ground. "Oh well then, I'll just destroy you next turn. I'm done for now though." Echo concluded her turn. "I'm afraid there might not be a next turn for you, cause I'm gonna finish this, once and for all!" Lance swore as he drew a card. "Hmph, I really don't have anything new except for this facedown." Lance began as the unknown card materialized on the field.

"But I can still rev up my engines and attack. Dokurorider, decimate Echo's thunder queen. Oh yea, feel that power!" Lance commanded with enthusiasm as his Ghost Rider-like monster gunned its motorcycle straight for Echo's monster. "I'm afraid it's not so simple for you. Due to her special ability, I can remove Thunder Avenger from my graveyard in order to survive your attack." Echo explained as the two monsters collided. "That may be, but you still take a hit to your life points." Lance pointed out as Echo flinched because her life points fell to 1900. "Wow, I can't believe we actually have the upper hand here. I mean, of course we do! I mean really, our life points are way higher and the best monsters are on our side of the field. Face it, we finally are getting what we deserve, haha!" Lance laughed happily. "But this duel isn't over yet, Lance. There's still time for us to win." Echo pointed out. "Yea, but I don't think so. This is finally our time to shine!" Lance replied with a huge grin. "You want to bet on that?" Adrian asked with a smirk. "You really think you can turn this around? We'll just have to see about that, Adrian. I end my turn!" Lance concluded his turn challengingly.

"Then allow me to prove you wrong." Adrian remarked as he drew his own card. "With this being the last turn and all, I suppose I should end this in some kind of dramatic or epic fashion. After all, isn't that how these duels usually finish?" Adrian asked no one in particular. "Yea, I guess so, that always works out better. Wait a minute, last turn? How do you know this is the last turn? Are you finally just surrendering?" Lance remarked. "Not quite, actually I'm about to win. And it starts off with my Natural Disaster trap card!" Adrian called out dramatically as his facedown card flipped up. "Wait, a trap? Not quite, because by calling out my card's name dramatically as well, I can negate your trap. Go Seven Tools of the Bandit! At the cost of 1000 of my life points, your card is automatically negated and destroyed." Lance countered as his life points fell to 1600 and both of their cards shattered. "Ha, seems like your master plan is finished! Try to beat us now!" Lance gloated. "I will actually, because even though you stopped my trap card, the master plan is not off. Instead, I'll just remove from play Cloudian- Acid Cloud from my graveyard in order to summon Cloudian- Storm Dragon!" Adrian stated as his cloud dragon emerged with a wind gust and 1000 attack and 0 defense. "For getting this far we must be blessed, but to be quite honest, I'm not impressed." Xime commented flatly.

"You're not supposed to be just yet. That's because I'm about to sacrifice both Cloudian- Storm Dragon and Cloudian- Nimbusman in order to summon Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon!" Adrian called out as a whirlwind whisked both of his monsters away. In their place, Adrian's strongest cloud monster emerged to the field with 3000 attack and 1000 defense. "I know, you're about to say something like 'well that's pretty good but not game winning, right?'" Adrian asked sarcastically. "Maybe." Lance admitted after a pause. "Well then you would actually be correct. That's why I have this final spell card that will really blow you away. I activate Perfect Storm- Category Seven!" Adrian called out as he rose up the card and a whirlwind covered the entire room. "Despite all the small victories we've had, I must admit this looks quite bad." Xime commented with fear. "Oh it is, this is our best combo move. You two don't stand a chance!" Echo responded happily.

"Alright, well maybe this isn't good, but it's not over just yet, right?" Lance asked very unconvincingly. "I'm afraid you are wrong about that one, because there's no way that this storm will blow over without taking all of your life points with it. See, in order to create really the perfect combination of bad weather, there must be a thunder monster and a Cloudian monster on the field at the same time. But not just any ones, ones with good special abilities." Adrian began explaining. "Of course, always about the special abilities isn't it?" Lance commented frustrated. "Of course, but anyways since there is my own Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon and Echo's Queen of the Thunder on the field, I can combine their special abilities together. Because of Echo's monster, when Eye of the Typhoon attacks one of your monsters in defense mode, you still take damage to your life points." Adrian continued with a grin. "Oh no, that card is really bad… wait a minute, there are no defense mode monsters to be had." Xime stated with a bit of a sigh. "That's correct, but because of my monster's special ability, when it attacks it changes the battle position of all of your monsters on the field." Adrian added with a smirk. "That was a good move. Because Dokurorider's defense points are zero, when Adrian attacks all that damage will go to Lance's life points, ending the duel." Zane commented from the sidelines.

"Exactly, any last words?" Adrian asked somewhat politely. "Not really, we talk too much as it is. It's just frustrating to get so far and now lose to you losers. Mark my words, Adrian Gecko, we will beat you someday and claim our rightful places as main characters!" Lance exclaimed loudly. "Is that all?" Adrian asked again. "Yea, I'm done." Lance sighed. "In that case, Cloudian- Eye of the Typhoon, attack Dokurorider and end this duel now!" Adrian commanded as the entire room was filled with a raging hurricane. Adrian's cloud monster spun around generating the gust, while Echo's monster shot lightning bolts into it. The wind and the thunder collided and were shot out directly at Lance's monster, which was now switched to defense mode, and hurled it into the area. With a cry, it was struck by the lightning and destroyed, reducing Lance and Xime's life points down to a final 0.


	51. Chapter 51: Stay Toon'd

Chapter 51- Stay Toon'd

"It's too bad we don't have the luck of a clover. I guess for now that it's all over." Xime sighed sadly as the holograms faded. "And the winners of the second semifinal match are Adrian and Echo!" Croquet proclaimed loudly with a raise of his left hand. "Yes, it's over and we've won." Adrian restated with a smile. "Yea, but don't think it's completely over. After all, we may have lost this time, but we're not giving up until we make it all the way to the top of the dueling ladder. Well someday anyways." Lance exclaimed a little too loudly. "Yes, but for today if all four of you could please take your seats. Master Pegasus has some important words to say before the finals can begin." Croquet urged as all four duelists walked back to the sidelines bench. "Good job, guys. I guess we'll be seeing you in the finals." Kristiann said to Adrian and Echo as they sat down. "Yep, it's sure to be a heated battle. I'm looking forward to it." Echo replied as Lance and Xime shot them all an angry look and sat down. Upon this, Pegasus stood up and walked a few feet before turning around to address the eight duelists.

"Well that concludes the semifinals I suppose. I must say that both of those duels were nothing short of incredible. I commend you all for a most excellent display of power and skill." Pegasus began his speech. "But as we all know, the Tag Team Championship has not come to a conclusion just yet, although the time is fast approaching when we will have one final duel to decide just who is the greatest tag team in the known dueling world. Adrian, Echo, James, Kristiann, I congratulate you on your respective victories. But very soon you will have to face each other for the crown. As you know, the winners of the semifinals will get to ride that elevator to the final stage. I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but the final duel will take place on the rooftop of my castle." Pegasus revealed to the slightly shocked faces of those listening. "Is he serious? The final duel is gonna be on the roof? I must admit, the guy's got style." Lance commented aloud. "Indeed, but there is also one final other thing that you should know: lined along the dueling arena will be crowds of people. Not just anyone however, but all of the people who have participated in this tournament and lost. It's my way of unifying everyone in this tournament. After all, unity and friendship is what this whole event is about." Pegasus continued. "That's interesting, it appears then that everyone will be there to witness the most epic duel of this tournament. No pressure of course." Zane also commented.

"I'm sure you four will not mind having your match become quite the spectacle. This is sure to be an intense duel. Now anyways, I believe that is all I have to say." Pegasus concluded his speech. "May be begin the final stage then, sir?" Croquet asked his employer. "Yes, I believe everything is prepared. We may begin the tournament finals." Pegasus answered. "I object!" A loud male voice called out from the direction of the door. Just then, the double doors burst open and the panting figure of Gabe Saporta appeared. "Oh no, not this guy again." Kristiann sighed aloud. "Wait, just who is that loser? And what right does he have just dropping in here?" Lance asked challengingly. "Who am I? You mean you haven't heard of me? I'm Gabe… oh never mind." Gabe shouted back and he strode into the room. "And just what are you doing here? I see you've taken my invitation to watch the final duel. Did you get lost maybe?" Pegasus asked the young man calmly.

"No I didn't get lost! But yea, when I heard you were inviting everyone back, I took it as an opportunity to get into this castle. But then, when your lackey wasn't looking, I broke off and snuck my way here." Gabe revealed proudly. "And dare I ask why?" Adrian questioned the intruder. "Because it's not fair that you losers get to be the ones in the finals, as opposed to the greatness that is Gabe Saporta! I didn't even make it into the castle and you guys are here dueling it up. Basically, I'm here for my revenge and to sabotage this tournament, making me its head!" Gabe shouted back. "And just how do you plan on doing that?" Zane asked him flatly. "Simple, by the same way we do everything around here: by dueling. Although I'd like my revenge first against James and Kristiann, I really don't care who I duel, I'll take you all out!" Gabe remarked challengingly.

"Well if that's the case, then surely I can't let you ruin this tournament we've all worked so hard to hold. I'm afraid then that one of us will have to defeat you to silence you then." Pegasus stated aloud. "Yea? Well that's too bad, because I'm not going to be defeated!" Gabe snapped in reply. "I'm afraid I have to disagree with you there. But I suppose the only way to find that out for sure is to have a duel. And since you so cleverly stated that you didn't care who you dueled, then allow me to be the one to personally evict you from this room." Pegasus challenged with a hint of a smile. "What, Pegasus duel? But he like created this game, there's no way Gabe would stand a chance!" Lance remarked out loud. "But shouldn't one of the people in this tournament be the one to defeat someone trying to sabotage it?" Echo asked the creator of games. "Not necessarily. I designed this tournament with a dream in mind: for all duelists to be united. And if someone were to threaten that, then it's my responsibility as its organizer to defend it. That is, if Gabe boy here accepts my challenge." Pegasus turned to the young man.

"I don't care if you created this game, this tournament, or whatever, I'm taking you down one way or another. Of course, I accept your challenge Pegasus, on the condition that if I win, I claim the tournament prize." Gabe added with a sly grin. "If he were to win he gets the tournament prize? There's no way he can duel with a wager that size." Xime mentioned. "Actually, those terms sound fine with me. Croquet, please bring me my duel disk." Pegasus asked his henchman, who nodded and ran off. "You're a fool, Pegasus. But hey, I'm not complaining, I'll win this one duel and take the whole tournament." Gabe sneered. "That's nice, but I'm afraid you have to win first. Shall we begin?" Pegasus continued as Croquet handed him his Kaiba Corp duel disk, which he slipped on. "Of course, the sooner the better." Gabe replied as both players activated their duel disks, had their life points set to 4000 each, and drew their opening hands. "Let's duel!" They both shouted at the same time.

"You may have the honor of going first if you wish." Pegasus offered politely. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather you go first so I can crush you faster. Bring it!" Gabe snapped back. "If you insist." Pegasus shrugged as he drew a card. "I don't get it, why would Gabe want Pegasus to go first?" Lance asked no one in particular. "There are some advantages to going second. For one you can't attack on the first turn, so Gabe must have a strong attack monster he wants to use right away." Zane answered. "Hmm, it's been a while since I've dueled so competitively, but I think this will make a good opening move. I summon my Toon Alligator in defense mode!" Pegasus called out as his devilishly cute cartoon reptile emerged on a card with 800 attack and 1600 defense. "Then I believe I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn." Pegasus concluded with a slight grin. "That's it, a wimpy little cartoon alligator? I expected much better from the great Master Pegasus." Gabe commented snidely. "You think you can do better? Well go ahead and make your move then." Pegasus responded frankly. "Yea, I can do better, just watch!" Gabe challenged as he drew a card.

"I'd hate to agree with that weirdo, but he's right. That Toon Alligator isn't exactly a strong monster and it has no effect." Becca pointed out. "That's true, but don't count Pegasus out just yet. Remember, he created this game, so he knows exactly how to master it. Not only that, but despite his top-class dueling skill, he also has a bit of an… eccentric deck." Zane replied. "If you two are done chatting, then it's time for me to make my move. I summon Alien Warrior to the field in attack mode!" Gabe exclaimed as his vicious extraterrestrial emerged with 1800 attack and 1000 defense. "Now you'll get it, my Alien Warrior will rip your monster to shreds!" Gabe laughed. "Well he would, but I'm afraid he's going on a little trip." Pegasus replied with an innocent smirk. "And just what do you mean by that?" Gabe retorted. "I mean that his suitcase is all packed for him to return to your hand. But just in case, I'll give him my Toon Briefcase trap for the road. By activating this, I can send the monster you summoned right back to your hand." Pegasus explained as the card flipped up and a cartoon, carnivorous suitcase came out and ate Gabe's monster, as the card returned to his hand. "What the heck was that?" Gabe shouted in disbelief. "That was the power of toons, my friend. You really shouldn't underestimate their power. And comedy of course." Pegasus replied with a chuckle.

"Yea, well you may think it's funny, but I think it's just plain weird. But no matter! I'm not finished just yet, not until I put this spell card in to play: 'A' Cell Breeding Device!" Gabe called out as a giant tube of toxic-looking substances emerged on his side of the field. "But you'll find out what that does soon enough. In the meantime, I'll set this one card facedown and end my turn." Gabe concluded. "Wait a moment, not so fast. I still have a second trap that I can activate now. I reveal my Solemn Wishes card! Now with this in play, I gain 500 life points every time I draw a card." Pegasus explained as his facedown was revealed. "That's a good card!" Lance remarked from the sidelines. "You haven't seen anything yet then, because since my turn is just about to begin I draw a card and gain life points." Pegasus explained as he drew a card and his life points rose to 4500.

"Excellent then, perhaps this duel can really begin." Pegasus remarked with a chuckle. "Yea whatever pretty boy, just make your move!" Gabe remarked angrily. "Well first I have to see if this duel will really be interesting enough. I know! I'll check the Toon Table of Contents! With this I can select one toon card from my deck and add it right to my hand. And with these toons in my deck, you can be sure this card will be interesting." Pegasus explained as he glanced through his deck, selected a card, and reshuffled. "Hey, my monsters are pretty cool too!" Gabe stated indignantly. "Yes, but not nearly as comical and zany as mine. In fact, prepare yourself to enter their world now. I activate the magical, the whimsical, the indescribable Toon World!" Pegasus exclaimed happily as the giant green book emerged on the field in a puff of smoke and its signature theme music. "A card that has its own theme music… it must be good then." Adrian commented aloud. "Why yes it is, but I do have to pay up 1000 of my life points to activate it. However it's well worth it." Pegasus added as his life points fell to 3500.

"It's just a huge book, it can't be that strong!" Gabe remarked to his opponent. "My dear friend, I don't think it's wise of you to underestimate the power of my toon monsters. Why yes, they may not look too intimidating, but they sure have a bite." Pegasus responded as his Toon Alligator let out a comical snicker. "But I'm afraid that this toon monster, won't be doing any biting any time soon." Pegasus added, much to the comical devastation of his own monster. "That's because I'm going to sacrifice it in order to summon a much stronger monster." Pegasus continued as his monster vanished. "Give a warm welcome to the Toon Dark Magician Girl!" Pegasus called out as his Toon World book opened up and a puff of purple smoke came out. From the smoke emerged the cartoon version of the famous female magician with 2000 attack and 1700 defense. "Man, that's just wrong." Lance shook his head. "Oh you just think that because you thought Dark Magician Girl was cute." James nudged. "That's not true! Ok, maybe a little, but still!" Lance remarked back. "I personally think she's cuter now." Kristiann commented. "I don't think they meant cute, as in like little kid cute." Becca added flatly. "I refuse to comment on this." Zane thought to himself.

"Alright, now I'm convinced you're nuts. A Toon Dark Magician Girl? Give me a break!" Gabe exclaimed in disbelief. "I'm afraid that there's no break here for you. Well, except for maybe some of your life points. Toon Dark Magician Girl, show Gabe boy here what toons are all about!" Pegasus commanded as his monster did a little ballerina twirl and then shot an orb of magic energy directly at Gabe, striking him and reducing his life points to 2000. "Whoa, not bad, that girl can hit hard." Gabe commented as he recoiled from the blow. "That's right, and there's more where that came from. But for now I just set this card facedown and end my turn. I'm afraid you'll have to stay tuned a little longer. Get it, stay toon'd a little longer?" Pegasus chuckled to himself as he concluded his turn. "Ugh, that joke was as bad as one of yours." Becca remarked to James much to the chuckling of everyone else.

"Then allow me to interrupt your broadcast for something really great. I draw!" Gabe proclaimed as he drew a card. "But don't forget now that my turn's beginning again, this can activate!" Gabe shouted as he pointed to his toxic tank. When he did, some of the lights on the device flashed and a little cannon protruded from the top and shot a sick-looking life form that latched on to Pegasus's monster, which squealed as it hit. "Whatever did you do to my monster?" Pegasus exclaimed in a comical, dramatic fashion. "Simple, I infected it with an 'A' counter. But you'll see what that does in a minute as my Alien Warrior makes a comeback!" Gabe called out as his vicious extraterrestrial reemerged with 1800 attack and 1000 defense. "But don't think my monster is the same as the last time you saw it, because this time I'm equipping it with my Meteor Masher spell card. It may not give my monster any extra attack points, but when it destroys your monster, you take an extra hit." Gabe explained as his Alien Warrior was outfitted with steel blue armor, complete with a cybernetic hammer on one of its arms. "Oh, and one more thing: whenever a monster with an 'A' counter does battle with Alien Warrior, it loses 300 attack points just for the battle, making your puny little girl weaker than my Alien." Gabe added with a confident grin.

"Now that I'm all supped up and ready for battle, Alien Warrior wipe the smile clean off of Pegasus's face and destroy his Toon Dark Magician Girl!" Gabe commanded as his monster let out a roar and charged towards the toon monster, who screamed in childish terror. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Gabe boy. So I activate my trap card Toon Defense! With this little trap card, I can protect my monster and instead redirect your attack right to me." Pegasus explained with a knowing smile as his monster breathed a sigh of relief and disappeared into the Toon World book, which slammed itself shut. "Wait, why would he take the attack directly? Just to save his monster?" Lance asked in confusion and slight disbelief. "Yes, and it's not a bad strategy. By taking the hit now, he may set himself up for something better later." Zane added on. "Fine then, it'll be my pleasure to attack you personally." Gabe commented as his monster slammed Pegasus instead, reducing his life points to 1700. "Well that was fun, and not only that but as another effect of my Meteor Masher, you have to discard the top card of your deck right now." Gabe added with a proud smirk. "Hmm, very well then, but just be aware, Gabe boy, that this duel is only getting started." Pegasus stated unfazed as he discarded the card. "Yea, but it'll be over real soon, then you'll know the power of a true master duelist: Gabe Saporta!" Gabe laughed confidently as he ended his turn. "Gabe who?" James asked jokingly. "Can it!" Gabe shouted back as the high stakes duel continued.


	52. Chapter 52: Gabe Boy Advance

Chapter 52- Gabe Boy Advance

"Well if you're so confident, Gabe boy, then allow me to make my move. Speaking of which, remember that I gain 500 life points just for drawing a card due to my Solemn Wishes trap." Pegasus stated as he drew a card and his life points rose to 2300. "Ooo and look what I just drew! How very lucky of me! I activate this Pot of Greed spell, which allows me to draw two cards right from my deck, no questions asked. But I'm sure you already knew that." Pegasus declared in glee as he drew two more cards from his deck. "Yea of course I knew that! Just go ahead and make your pathetic move!" Gabe shouted back impatiently. "Fine then, I will. I activate the spell card Monster Reborn, and with it I can bring back an old friend that you thought you got rid of last turn when you sent the top card of my deck to the graveyard." Pegasus explained as he played the card and a card came out of the graveyard slot in his duel disk. "Say hello to the Toon Summoned Skull!" Pegasus called out as the Toon World book opened up with a poof of smoke and the word 'boom.' Then from the opened book, the cartoon fiend emerged with a maddened laugh and 2500 attack and 1200 defense.

"Not bad, hunh?" Pegasus asked with a grin as his new monster stuck its tongue out at his opponent. "Well I gotta admit, this just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Gabe commented flatly. "What? How could you not like my monster? Well no matter then. I suppose I'll just have to summon another monster that may be more your type. I summon Toon Mermaid also, in defense mode!" Pegasus called out as another poof of comical smoke ushered in the cartoon mermaid in a clam with 1400 attack and 1500 defense. "I gotta be honest here, I'm not feeling this whole toon thing. I prefer monsters that are actually strong. In fact, it's kinda starting to freak me out." Gabe commented as the toon aqua monster winked at its enemy. "Now Gabe boy, I'm a bit offended. You should know by now that my monsters are stronger than they appear. Allow me to show you. Toon Dark Magician Girl, attack his life points directly!" Pegasus commanded much to the shock of Gabe and everyone else.

"Wait, how can Pegasus attack Gabe directly even though he has a monster out?" Kristiann asked aloud. "Because toon monsters can attack an opponent's life points directly as long as they don't have any other toon monsters out. That's what makes them so dangerous, despite what they look like." James answered. "Oh no, I could lose the duel! Wait a second, I still have this trap card. I activate Detonator Circle 'A!' Because I infected that little girl with an 'A' counter last turn, this card can destroy your monster right here and now." Gabe countered with a wicked smile as Pegasus's monster let out a squeal and the organism on it exploded, taking the spell caster with it. "Of course, we both take 1000 points of damage, but I've saved myself for now." Gabe added as his life points fell to 1000 and Pegasus's life points fell to 1300. "Hmm, not a bad move, I suppose. In that case, I've got nothing left but to end my turn." Pegasus concluded wistfully. "Yea, that better be all you got, cause look out!" Gabe remarked as he drew a card.

"First off, you might remember, I can shoot another 'A' counter to one of your monsters, namely that freaky Toon Summoned Skull. Fire!" Gabe called out as his spell card shot another toxic organism at Pegasus's monster, causing it to shake its arm wildly as it attached itself to it. "You know, you say my monsters are strange, but those 'A' counter creatures aren't exactly sanitary." Pegasus commented jokingly. "That's the least of your problems right now because I'm about to sacrifice my Alien Warrior in order to summon an even stronger extraterrestrial monster: Alien Mother!" Gabe called out again as his original alien beast disappeared as the new, four-armed female beast emerged with a growl and 2300 attack and 1500 defense. "Oho, sounds intimidating! But I'm afraid my toons can handle anything you throw at them. Let's face it, you just can't win." Pegasus commented confidently with a shrug as his Toon Summoned Skull flexed its muscles comically. "Maybe not here, but I think it's about time for a little field spell. Get ready to enter Otherworld- the 'A' Zone!" Gabe proclaimed as the field spell slot opened up in his duel disk and he slid the spell card inside. At once, the grand hall around them was replaced with a strange space world. All around them was open space, but swirling with bizarre rainbow colors and the occasional rocky asteroid. Both Gabe and Pegasus stood floating in space, while the spectators on the sidelines appeared to be standing on a floating meteorite.

"The 'A' Zone? Sounds intimidating, but what does the 'A' stand for?" Lance asked in slight admiration. "You must be kidding. There's lots of ways I could answer that question." Adrian replied flatly. "Yea, but only one awesome field spell! After all, this cosmic arena makes all monsters lose 300 attack points when they battle an Alien monster. And I think you know what that means Pegasus." Gabe explained confidently. "But of course, but why don't you show me as well." Pegasus remarked in reply. "I think I will, wise guy! Alien Mother, wipe out that freaky Toon Summoned Skull with maternal alien slash!" Gabe commanded angrily as his monster let out a screech and charged towards the fiend in the book. The toon monster's eyes popped out comically and also let out a cry as Gabe's monster slashed it apart, reducing Pegasus's life points to 1200.

"That's one toon down, a bunch more to go! But don't think my turn's over just yet, because you still haven't seen my Alien Mother's special ability." Gabe told them as the Toon Summoned Skull appeared on Gabe's side of the field with droopy eyes and its normal 2500 attack and 1200 defense. "Whoa, wait, did he just steal Pegasus's monster?" Lance asked in surprise. "That's right! Whenever Alien Mother destroys a monster on my opponent's side of the field, I can claim it as my own at the end of my battle phase." Gabe explained confidently. "Yes, but it's not nearly as comical as it was when it was on my side of the field." Pegasus lamented. "Yea whatever, I don't really care about that kind of thing. Winning is what's important to me here. And that's exactly what I'm about to do soon enough. I set one card facedown and end my turn." Gabe concluded.

"My dear Gabe boy, I'm afraid that it's that sad philosophy that will lead to your downfall." Pegasus told his opponent. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" Gabe questioned with annoyance on his face. "I mean that you barge in here and try to take the whole tournament in just one duel, but you don't realize that that is impossible for you right now." Pegasus replied. "Are you saying that you're that much better than me?" Gabe shouted angrily. "Well partially I suppose, but the point I'm getting at is that your philosophy is all wrong. The only thing you care about right now is winning and claiming your own victory, but that's not what this tournament is about at all. You see, and I'm sure I've proclaimed this already, but the reason I designed this tournament was to show the power of unity and working together. It would be impossible for one man to overcome all that." Pegasus continued. "So you're saying that because I'm being selfish, I can't win because this tournament is all about working together?" Gabe asked with slight realization on his face. "That's exactly right." Pegasus replied with a warm smile. "That's… the most absurd thing I've ever heard! I get your whole friendship thing, but duels are won by skill and power and I'm gonna use all of mine to claim my own win and prove you wrong!" Gabe countered.

"Suit yourself, but don't underestimate me at all. I suppose I'll just have to show you the hard way." Pegasus sighed as he drew a card. "And of course it begins with me gaining 500 life points due to Solemn Wishes." Pegasus stated as his life points rose to 1700. "Next, I'll make a smooth transition by playing Graceful Charity, which allows me to draw three cards and discard two." Pegasus explained as he did so. "So really you only gain one card from that all?" Gabe asked slightly mockingly. "Oh no, Gabe boy, I gain so much more, because one of the cards that I discarded was my Comedic Hand spell card, and it activates when it's sent to the graveyard." Pegasus replied. "And just what does that do?" Gabe asked in slight worry. "It allows me to special summon one Toon monster right from my graveyard of any level. You might be thinking though that I'm summoning an old monster, but the second card I discarded was the monster I'm actually going to summon right now. Give a warm welcome to the Blue- Eyes Toon Dragon!" Pegasus called out happily as a blinding light shone from the Toon World book and the cute legendary dragon emerged with a powerful snicker and 3000 attack and 2500 defense points.

"That's not good." Gabe admitted flatly. "Why no it's not, not for you anyways. Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, take out his Alien Mother!" Pegasus commanded as his cartoon dragon sucked in air and then winked at Gabe before breathing out, unleashing a burst of energy that struck Gabe's monster, destroying it and reducing his life points to 300. "Argh, I'm still standing though, this isn't over yet." Gabe shouted as he recoiled from the loss. "No, but it will be soon enough. Are you coming to realize that you are in the wrong in this, Gabe boy?" Pegasus asked as he ended his turn. "Not at all, I can still win this, you watch!" Gabe shouted back as he drew a card. "Excellent, just what I need! I've finally got the power I need to crush you and take this match. I sacrifice the Toon Summoned Skull I took from you last turn and use it to call forth the ultimate Cosmic Horror Gangi'el!" Gabe shouted in triumph as the drowsy-looking toon monster disappeared and, from the depths of the space around them, the great alien monstrosity dramatically emerged with 2600 attack and 2000 defense. "Whoa, he got his strongest monster out!" Lace exclaimed in slight amazement.

"Yes, but why would he summon it in defense mode?" James asked aloud, for the new monster was in defense mode. "I'm glad you asked loser, because I have a trap that will explain it all! Go Zero Gravity!" Gabe shouted dramatically as his facedown card was revealed. "This card switches the battle position of all monsters on the field, setting the scene perfectly for what I have next." Gabe explained as his monster let out a roar and rose to attack mode, Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon looked sad and switched to defense mode, and Toon Mermaid winked and switched to attack mode. "An interesting strategy, I can't wait to see what you have next." Pegasus commented nonchalantly. "You'll regret those words, wise guy! Cosmic Horror Gangi'el, destroy Toon Mermaid!" Gabe commanded as his beast moved forward in space and ripped apart the cartoon with its many claws, reducing Pegasus's life points to 500.

"Is that all? I'm afraid the way you were carrying on, I expected much better." Pegasus commented with a smirk. "Well I… yes, that is all I have." Gabe began angrily, but then had a light bulb moment and stopped. "Why the sudden change in attitude?" Echo asked no one in particular. "I think Gabe just realized how dire his situation is. He did just summon his strongest monster, but even it can't win the duel for him. He put everything on that attack, but Pegasus still survived. I don't think he has anything left to play, and I think he just realized that." Zane speculated aloud. "Yea, that guy's right, I don't have anything left. I, I've got no choice but to end my turn." Gabe sighed sadly. "Now do you realize it, Gabe? You placed everything on yourself and your power and it just wasn't enough for you to obtain success. That's because you can't do it all yourself and claim all the glory, we all need to work together and build success through each other." Pegasus told his opponent. "Yea, maybe… what am I saying? Just finish me off." Gabe remarked. "Haha, you're right, I was starting to sound like Yugi boy for a bit there." Pegasus laughed as he drew a card, which raised his life points to 1000. "By giving up 500 of my life points, my Toon monster can attack you directly this turn, so I'm afraid I can end this with a bit of style." Pegasus explained, serious again, as his life points fell again to 500. "Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, attack Gabe boy directly and put an end to this!" Pegasus commanded as his cartoon dragon appeared to roll up its sleeves and flew over to Gabe's side of the field. Appearing behind him, the monster grinned widely and shot another energy burst at him at point blank range, knocking him to the floor and reducing his life points to a final 0.

"And that's where it ends." Pegasus sighed as all of the holograms faded. "Yea, of course that wannabe couldn't stand up to Pegasus. Looks like the tournament is safe." Adrian commented as Pegasus walked over to his opponent, who was getting up. "Well I must say, that despite everything, that was still an excellent duel." Pegasus told him as he extended his hand. "Yea, for you maybe 'cause you won, but I guess it was a good duel." Gabe agreed in annoyance as he got back to his feet and reluctantly shook Pegasus's hand. "Well I'm glad you agree. The important thing however is if you now see what I mean about fighting for others and working together. Do you now realize what this tournament is all about?" Pegasus asked his opponent with a hopeful smile. "Yea, I guess… wait a second here, what am I saying? No, this tournament was supposed to be conquered by me! And I guess, I messed up… and I think I know why… But that's not important!" Gabe shouted as if in conflict with himself.

"Well, whether you learned your lesson or not, a deal is a deal, and I'm going to have to ask you to leave now. But feel free to watch the final duel with the others if you want." Pegasus told the young man. "Yea, as if… course it could be fun, but whatever! You… I'm just out of here, get it? Just remember, that I'm not finished just yet. Someday you'll remember the name Gabe Saporta!" Gabe proclaimed as he began his way out of the room. As he strode away however, a card fell out of his duel disk and gently landed on the floor. "Hey, Gabe, wait! You dropped this card!" James shouted to him as he picked up the card. "Yea, well, it's not that great of a card anyways, I don't need it. Just keep it. And hey… good luck you losers!" Gabe shouted back as he walked and, without turning around, gave a little wave to them. Soon he was out the doors he came in and the others saw him turn to the right on his way out, after breaching the doors.

"He does know that that's the way to the rooftop right?" Lance asked no one in particular. "Of course he knows, and that's exactly where he's headed. He's had a change of heart I imagine, I can sense it in him. Although he has too much pride to admit it." Pegasus said with a tiny chuckle. "Yea, you're probably right. That's probably why he left this card behind, maybe he even meant to drop it." James commented as he pocketed the card. "I'm sure he did. I admit, it was nice dueling for real once again." Pegasus sighed to himself. "But now that this distraction is taken care of, I believe it's time to continue on with the tournament. After all, we were on our way to the final stage. Shall we continue?" Pegasus asked the others. "Of course, it's finally time for the finals. Let's go!" Kristiann replied with enthusiasm. "I couldn't agree more. Croquet, if you would please take the others. The four finalists and I will ride up in that elevator over there." Pegasus told his servant. "Of course, Master Pegasus. Please come with me." Croquet urged Lance, Xime, Zane, and Becca. "Aww, man, I thought we could still at least take the elevator up." Lance grumbled as he, Croquet, and the other duelists went the same way Gabe did out the doors.

"Well, shall we go?" Pegasus asked the remaining four. "Of course, now we're completely ready." Echo responded. "Then please follow me to the final stage." Pegasus encouraged as the five of them walked up the short stairway. Upon reaching the top, the elevator automatically opened and the five of them entered. The elevator door shut, and they began their ascent to the rooftops of the castle and the Tag Team Championship Finals.


	53. Chapter 53: All are Gathered

Chapter 53- All are Gathered

The elevator wasn't very large, but it was large enough for all five people to fit comfortably inside it through its ascent. Inside, James, Kristiann, Echo, Adrian, and Pegasus stood in waiting, some looking nervous, some looking excited, and some looking a combination of the two. "I must say, I'm very pleased both of your teams have made it to the final round. It's sure to be a most excellent duel." Pegasus commented to break the silence. "I agree, remember when we first met right before entering the castle? Who knew that we'd be here now on our way to the finals?" James reminisced. "Yea, you two looked strong back then, but I didn't know you were that good." Echo responded with a smile. "Yea, after all, we knew our own strengths, but we didn't think almost a virtual unknown in the dueling world would be competing with us. Not to sound arrogant of course." Adrian added. "No, it's ok, I get it. We've never really entered a big tournament like this before, so it's really cool that we got so far. I don't think it's any accident though. That's what's this whole thing is about right?" Kristiann replied. "Exactly, there are no accidents. It's all because we worked together. You guys too I guess." James tagged on. "Mhm, that's how we win all our duels and how we made it this far to begin with." Echo affirmed. "I agree with all of you 100%." Adrian concluded the conversation.

After that, there was a moment of silence until Pegasus broke it again. "You know, it is ironic that you are the two teams to embody this tournament in the finals. Have you all figured that out yet?" Pegasus asked the group. "I get that we embody the tournament because both of our teams are the best, but what do you mean about it being ironic?" Kristiann asked a little confused. "Wait, I think I know what he means. You mean that Echo and I have been through a lot and James and Kristiann are still just beginning their journey together, right?" Adrian asked insightfully. "I couldn't have said it any better myself. That's exactly right, you and Echo have been through many ordeals together and have ultimately become stronger through it. You know exactly what I mean of course?" Pegasus nodded to them. "Yes, we do." Echo stated with a sigh.

"I thought so. But James and Kristiann on the other hand have only begun to really grow together. Don't take me wrong of course; you two obviously love each other very much. But you still have yet to face a real, monumental trial. Am I right about that?" Pegasus asked the other two. "I'd say that's pretty accurate." James replied with a faint smile. "I figured as much. But then, it's interesting that two teams at very different points get to face each other. Adrian and Echo, who have faced great trials together and made it through, and James and Kristiann, the new generation of lovers who will someday face the same fate… Don't you see it, the new versus the old, the experienced versus the fledglings, but yet still, both lovers, both perfect in love, locked in one battle to determine just who is the greatest team. Don't you see the irony in that?" Pegasus asked them dramatically. "Well when you put it that way, yes, you're absolutely right." Kristiann replied with a smile.

"Why thank you, but such thing could not have been determined by myself. Destiny itself has put you together here and it too will determine who the victor shall be. But enough of this, we have almost arrived." Pegasus declared as the elevator came to a stop. A chime sounded and the doors opened, sending sunlight streaming in. "After you." Pegasus urged politely as Adrian, Echo, James, and Kristiann stepped out on to the rooftop. The roof of the castle was obviously as large as the castle was. There was one, large space of floor just in front of where the elevator was, and an almost identical structure on the opposite side of the arena where there was a stairway, presumably for the others to come up. This part of the roof was obviously made for dueling, not just by its original structure, but also by the stands that were placed on the two sides of the arena. There were three sets of large stands on one side of the arena and two on the other, with a different sort of stand in the middle, a luxury booth where Kemo and Croquet stood next to a large chair, presumably for Pegasus. On both sides of that chair in the booth were two chairs, each occupied by Becca, Zane, Lance, and Xime, the finalists. Each of the normal stands were packed with people, most of them familiar faces. All four duelists looked around in amazement as they walked out onto the main floor, with Pegasus following, as the elevator closed behind them.

"Attention duelists and welcome to the final stage of the International Tag Team Championship!" Kemo shouted into a microphone, much to the cheer of the crowd. "Judging simply by the fact that it's loud, I must say that this is quite the crowd!" Xime commented from the luxury booth. "Yea, I'll say! Everyone who participated in this tournament is here, and not just island people, but people who lost in the preliminaries are here too." Lance responded. "And that's not all. Look up in the sky over there. I'll bet you those helicopters circling us are television cameras." Becca added as she pointed to the two helicopters that circled the arena, indeed filming the match and broadcasting the signal to the entire world. "You mean the whole world is watching this? No pressure on those guys of course!" Lance exclaimed in amazement.

"I agree, pretty exciting, isn't it Zane?" Becca asked with a laugh. "Yes, this is going to be quite the interesting match. I'm very much looking forward to see how it all turns out." Zane commented. "Well, this is my last chance to try and make something work between Zane and I. Maybe something good could happen during this match. With a spectacle like this… wait this reminds me of something Kristiann told me earlier!" Becca thought to herself as the flashback began. "The first time we held hands? Well, the first, first time was at the Christmas party. You know that right? But the first real time after that was actually before we started going out, on our 'first date,' I suppose." Kristiann chuckled in a flashback to earlier in the tournament. "So where was it?" Becca asked her friend as they stood in a hallway of Pegasus's castle. "Well it was at a hockey game at the Forum. I'm still not really sure how it happened, we just kind of… well, just connected I guess." Kristiann told her. "Who knows? Maybe that'll happen to you and Zane when you watch our final match." Kristiann laughed. "Who says that you'll be in the finals? You won't be if we beat you guys! But anyways thank you, I hope something does happen before this is all over." Becca admitted. "Just remember, whatever's meant to happen is meant to happen, but don't rush it. If it's meant to be, it'll come in its own time." Kristiann advised. "Thanks, Kristiann. Now let's get going or we'll be late." Becca urged as they continued down the hall and the flashback ended.

"Yes, I think Kristiann was right. But let's just hope that with this epic duel, everything will work itself out. Maybe we'll hold hands, just like James and Kristiann did at their first hockey game." Becca thought to herself in the present moment. "I agree, Zane. This is going to be an epic duel." Becca said out loud with a tiny blush, which Zane didn't notice. "Attention duelists, as you might have already noticed, the finalists have arrived!" Kemo shouted again to the entire assembly as the four walked out onto the main stage. "Wow, this is pretty cool!" James exclaimed happily as he waved to the observers. "Yes indeed, now I shall take my place as well. You four remain here. I wish to say a few words before we begin." Pegasus told the four duelists as he walked up the long stairs to his ornate chair in the luxury booth. When he arrived, he stood in front of his chair and motioned to Kemo to hand him the microphone. "Greetings to all who have gathered here, and welcome to the final destination! As you well know, the two best tag teams of duelists will compete for the ultimate crown." Pegasus began his speech as most of the crowd hushed up.

"Is he going to give another speech? Jeez, he should just learn to give it a rest." Gabe scoffed as he took his seat in the stands near a few familiar characters. "Well if it isn't my old pal Gabe. Glad you finally decided to show up here." His former partner Slash remarked from the seat next to him. "Shut it, I'm just here 'cause I have nothing better to do." Gabe snapped back. "Whatever you say, dude. But even you got to admit that this duel is going to be something. I personally am placing my bets on James and Kristiann. After all, beating us was no easy feat." Slash commented in a blasé manner. "Yea, they better win! No one beats us and then loses! That's the only reason, I care of course." Gabe added defensively. "Well I agree with Slash here of course, and I can't wait for the curtain to rise on this spectacle." Ferris the juggler cut in from the row behind them. "Exactly, if they had the strength and skills to beat Zane, they must be good." Skrub his partner tagged on. "Well, we'll have to see now won't we?" Slash concluded the conversation ominously.

"So then like, she was like, oh my gosh, no way!" The pink haired Lovrina yapped into her cell phone on a totally different section of the stands. Sitting next to her was her sister Lavana, and sitting in the row above them was a very irritated Bastion. "Would you please give it a rest? Not only is it rude to talk on your phone now, but it's also very annoying!" Bastion shouted at the preppy girl below him. "Ga, well fine. Like bye." Lovrina rolled her eyes and ended her phone conversation. "Thank you." Bastion sighed as he regained his posture. "Did you see that guy who shouted at you?" Lavana whispered to her sister. "Yea, he was like totally hot." Lovrina whispered back as she then turned to wave at the young man, who turned a deep red. "Oh, why is it always me?" Bastion sighed sadly. "Don't worry, Bastion, just relax and enjoy the duel." Amy Lee commented to him from a few seats down. "Yea, just enjoy the match." Her husband Josh repeated as he held his wife's hand. "That's easy for you to say." Bastion sighed again to himself. "Need hug?" The strange man Imakuni ask innocently from the seat next to him as he gave Bastion a big bear hug. "No, get off of me! Oh, why me?" Bastion sighed again as he shoved off the strange man, much to the giggling of the White Princess, who sat next to Imakuni. "Ha, those bunch are goofs, but this whole thing is gonna rock!" Marc Anthony pitched in from a nearby seat, to which his lovely wife Jennifer shook her head in agreement.

"I can see what the anticipation is all about. After all, I've already seen the future, so I know who wins this duel and it'll quite the sight." The mystical Psyche foretold from yet another part of the stands as he held his hand to his forehead. "Well then don't spoil it for the rest of us." Father David said to him. "Psychic? I really don't think he is." Father Jim commented to his priest friend. "I agree, but just play along." Father David whispered back. "Hey Father Jim. Hey everyone else." The young man known only as Zach greeted as he sat down in the empty seat next to Psyche in the row below the Fathers. "Hey Zach, what are you doing here?" Father Jim asked him. "Well I'm not really sure. I was just walking along nonchalantly like I do when one of Pegasus's guys asked if I wanted to come here. So I did." Zach replied. "Oh I see. So who do you think is going to win? We'll see if it matches Psyche's predication here." Father David asked, which got him a glare from the so-called psychic. "I'm having a little déjà vu moment here, but I'd have to go for my buddies James and Kristiann; they can overcome anything." Zach replied confidently. "Me disagree, me think that the other two will win. Mostly 'cause that Adrian guy breaks the fourth wall a lot and you know how I like breaking things." Hammer cut in from the other seat next to Psyche. "Yes, too well. But nonetheless, we will see, well the rest of you will, just how incredible this turns out to be and who the victors will become." Psyche stated with an ominous smile. "Of course we will." Father Jim responded as he rolled his eyes.

"But I'm sure that both teams will give their absolute everything to become victorious in this epic of epic duels." Pegasus came closer to a conclusion of his speech on the microphone. "And that, I believe is all I have to say. Not that I need to say any more. I think we've built up enough suspense so let us begin. Kemo, you have the honors." Pegasus passed the microphone to his henchman. "Yes, Master Pegasus. Alright, both teams please shuffle each others decks and report to opposite sides of the dueling field." Kemo told the finalists as they converged in the center of the arena. "Well this is it." James commented aloud as he shuffled Adrian's deck. "That's right, just one more duel to decide it all." Adrian returned the sentiments as he shuffled James's deck. "And with all these people watching, there's no pressure of course." Kristiann added as she shuffled Echo's deck. "Of course not. Don't forget, not only is everyone in the tournament watching, but the whole world is too. Let's make it an electric duel for everyone." Echo replied as she shuffled Kristiann's deck. "I couldn't agree more, let's do this." Kristiann stated as both teams locked eyes and returned their decks to their original owners.

"Are both teams ready?" Kemo asked them after they had taken places on opposite sides of the large, rooftop arena. "Yes, I believe so." Echo responded as she activated her duel disk. "Then with the whole tournament, no the whole world watching, let's show them what love and teamwork are all about." James commented dramatically as he activated his own duel disk. "I agree, we'll show you who the greatest tag team is. The old versus the new… let's see who can win this." Adrian tagged on as he activated his duel disk. "Then let's go." Kristiann encouraged with a straight face as she finally activated her duel disk. "Ok then. Without further ado, let the final duel of the International Tag Team Championship begin!" Kemo shouted with a raise of his hand and a roar of the crowd. Both team's life points were set to 8000 and all four duelists drew their opening hands. "Let's duel!" They all shouted in unison, signaling the true beginning of the final battle.


	54. Chapter 54: Gridlock

Chapter 54- Gridlock

"Can we agree on ladies first?" James asked his opponents. "I agree to that. But which lady should go first?" Adrian asked in reply. "No need to be noble, guys. I'll make the first move!" Echo stated with determination as she drew her first card. "Let's start this off right. I activate one of my favorite spell cards Thunder Sniper!" Echo called out as her card came into play and a dark cloud appeared over Echo's head in the mid-afternoon sky. "I think you might remember what this does, but just in case you don't, I'll remind you when I can use it next turn." Echo stated as she glanced through her hand. "But wait, don't you have to know a card in our hands in order to use that card?" James asked his opponent. "That's correct, but luckily I planned for just such an occasion. Time to do a little more recon work. I'm not sure if you know this, but when Adrian and I worked together for his family's company, I did a whole bunch of spy and reconnaissance missions for them. That's why these cards fascinate me so much." Echo revealed as she held up a card. "But enough of that. Back in the day, I was much better than this card, but I think I can still use it anyways. I activate The Inexperienced Spy! By using this spell card, I can look at one card in everyone's hand, right now. So let me see them!" Echo explained as Adrian smiled faintly as silently revealed a card to his partner.

"Oh man, now she can not only use her Thunder Sniper card next turn, but now she knows what to expect from us as well." James lamented as he showed her a card from his hand as well. "That doesn't mean she can counter them though. Plus it's just one card. I think we still have an advantage here." Kristiann affirmed as she showed her card as well. "Excellent, now I know all I need to make everything work." Echo remarked with a smile as she looked to her partner, who returned the sneaky smile. "Oh I get it! Not only did Echo use that card to look at James and Kristiann's hands, but she also wanted to see if there was anything good in Adrian's hand so that she could combo with it." Zane said aloud in realization. "That's exactly right, Zane. I told you they were masters of tag team dueling." Pegasus agreed with a slight chuckle. "Is this a good time? No, not yet I think. The time's not right yet." Becca thought to herself as he looked to the man next to her and shook her head.

"And to end my turn I think, I'll set up a little defense for myself. And by that of course, I mean that I summon my Tripwire Beast in defense mode!" Echo called out as her electrical monster emerged on a card with 1200 attack and 1300 defense. "Let's not forget this one facedown card… and I believe that'll do it for now." Echo concluded her turn as the mystery card appeared on the field. "Not a bad start, but we'll see how our guys can counter this." Slash remarked from the stands. "Yea, those losers can do it, I'll bet. Not that I care too much." Gabe responded with a defensive nod. "You know, you say that way too much for it not to be suspicious." Skrub pointed out. "Shut it, that's not important now. Just watch the duel!" Gabe snapped back. "That was a good opening move, Echo, but this duel is just getting started!" Kristiann challenged as she drew a card.

"Alright, since I just showed Echo a card last turn, I should probably play that card this turn so that she can't pick it out for Thunder Sniper next turn. That's a bit confusing, but I think I got it." Kristiann thought to herself as she selected a card from her hand and raised it up. "Hey Echo, you won't be able to guess a card in my hand next turn, because I'm summoning it right now. I summon Shining Angel in attack mode!" Kristiann called out as her majestic fairy emerged with 1400 attack and 800 defense. "Nothing else fancy, but Shining Angel attack Echo's Tripwire Beast!" Kristiann commanded as her angel charged a little orb of light and flung it at Echo's creature. "Well it's a good thing I have something fancy then. I activate my trap card Castle Walls! It's kind of ironic considering we're on the top of a castle right now, but this card increases my Tripwire Beast's defense by 500 until my next turn comes around." Echo explained as a gray glow surrounded her monster and its defense points rose to 1800. "And in case math's not your strong point, that means you lose some life points from your attack." Echo added with a smirk as the orb of energy was absorbed by Echo's monster and Kristiann's life points fell to 7600. "I'm not bad at math actually, but I see that's not going to do me much good here. These might, but I'll save them for later." Kristiann replied as she set two cards facedown. "And I'm afraid that's where I end my turn." She then concluded.

"Excellent then, the forecast for this turn is…" Adrian remarked as he drew a card. "A spell card known as Summon Cloud! And with it, I can call in another bout of bad weather and summon Cloudian- Sheep Cloud in defense mode." Adrian explained as a large cloud with light streaming through it appeared above his head and a tiny, puff-like cloud emerged on a card with 0 attack and defense. "That doesn't look like too bad of weather to me." James pointed out to his rival. "That may be, but since that was a special summon, I can put another one on the field as well." Adrian added as another Sheep Cloud emerged with 0 attack and defense points. "Two of those things? But why?" Kristiann questioned. "I'm glad you asked actually, because the storm is not over yet. I activate Lucky Cloud! And in case you don't know, this lets me draw two cards at the end of my turn, under one condition of course: I summoned two Cloudian monsters of the same name this turn." Adrian explained. "But you already did that." James stated the obvious. "Exactly, that's kind of the point. Anyways, I'll set this facedown and then draw my two cards, because my turn is now over." Adrian proclaimed as he did as he said.

"Well this is all very cool and all, but it's time to really heat this duel up!" James exclaimed with determination as he drew a card. "And I've got just the card to do so. I activate Reinforcement of the Army, which lets me take one warrior from my deck and add it to my hand. It's also the card I showed Echo, so I'm safe from Thunder Sniper next round." James explained as he reshuffled his deck from the search. "Good for you, but I'm sure you're about to reveal the warrior you searched for." Echo replied bluntly. "That's right, so give a warm welcome to Marauding Captain!" James called out as his battle-scarred warrior emerged with 1200 attack and 400 defense. "But that's not all, because my captain can himself call for reinforcements. And by that of course, I mean that I can summon another monster. So answer the call, Queen's Knight!" James added as his female knight emerged as well with 1500 attack and 1600 defense.

"Not bad, you got two monsters out on the first turn. But then again, so did I. The question is, what can you do with that?" Adrian taunted with a wily smile. "I'll show you. Marauding Captain and Queen's Knight, each attack one of Adrian's Sheep Clouds!" James commanded as each of his warriors unsheathed their respective blades and charged for the cloud creatures, slashed them apart, and returned to James once again. "Fancy moves, I guess, but I was one step ahead of you on this one." Adrian responded with a smirk. "What do you mean?" James asked, but his answer was four little puff-clouds appeared on the field in defense position, each with 0 points. "That's what I mean. When Cloudian- Sheep Cloud is destroyed, two other tokens are summoned in their place. Essentially, I've got four monsters now." Adrian explained. "Ah, but four heads aren't always better than two, or something like that. Anyways since I can't attack anymore this round, I'll just set this facedown and end my turn." James concluded with a mystery card.

"Well one round has gone by. It's hard to tell the outcome just based on this. We'll have to see how this plays out." Zane stated with little emotion. "Yea, this is a pretty good duel though. Who do you think is going to win, Zane?" Becca asked him. "Like I said, it's hard to determine now. They appear to be equally matched." Zane replied. "No, not who will probably win, I mean who do you want to win?" Becca asked again. "It doesn't really matter much to me, but I'd have to say that James and Kristiann have been good friends during this tournament. I suppose I wish them to win then." Zane gave his answer. "Yea, I agree, I don't really know those other two. Plus, I think this is a good tournament for newer couples." Becca stated with an implied hint. "I guess I agree with that." Zane replied a little too quickly. "What's going on with me? I don't really care about friends, just victors. Or do I? James and Kristiann have been good friends… but I think it's something else that I'm feeling. And I'm not sure I really understand it, much less like it." Zane thought to himself silently as his eyes never moved from the dueling arena. "Zane looks deep in thought. I wonder what's on his mind. I'll ask him in a little bit, I think. I hope I know what it is though…" Becca also thought to herself as she quickly glanced at Zane from her peripheral vision.

"Well this has been an interesting start, but it's my move again, and I've just begun." Echo proclaimed as she drew a card. "Let me show you what I mean. Remember last turn when I put my Thunder Sniper spell in to play? Well now it's time to activate it! Basically I have to name a card in your hand and if I'm right, then it's destroyed and you lose 500 life points." Echo explained as a distant peal of thunder sounded. "Alright, take your best shot." Kristiann responded smartly. "Hmm, they both played the cards they revealed last turn. Looks like I'll be taking a shot in the dark…" Echo thought to herself as she pointed right at James. "I think that you have Neo the Magic Swordsman!" Echo accused James of. "Ha, think again, I don't have that card in my hand at all!" James exclaimed happily. "You mean I was wrong? Well, I'll admit, I didn't expect that." Echo stated, taken aback. "Looks like you're not as clever as you thought." Kristiann mocked. "You may be right, but don't think you're off the hook that easily. I'll just use this Pot of Greed card to help me come up with something new." Echo told them as she drew two cards from the effects of the Pot.

"And you didn't explain that card's effects either. I'm impressed. Anyways, did you get anything good?" Adrian remarked and asked. "Actually I did, but I think a bit more searching is necessary. See, by sending this Thunder Dragon monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can add two more of said Thunder Dragon to my hand from my deck. Sounds complicated, but it makes sense." Echo explained as she discarded, searched, and reshuffled. "Somehow I think there's something more than just that." Kristiann commented. "Then you thought correctly, because I have something else here that will completely alter the playing field, literally. I activate the field spell Fusion Gate!" Echo proclaimed as the slot opened in her duel disk and she slid the card inside. As the slot closed, a semi-translucent grid appeared across the dueling arena and a vortex-like wormhole opened up in the center, where no one's monsters stood. "Wow, that looks kind of intimidating! Let's see what it can do." Lance commented from the luxury booth. "This is where it all comes together I think. Are you ready?" Echo asked rhetorically with a smile as she selected two cards from her hand.

"I'm not sure, but it doesn't really matter does it?" James asked a little worried. "Nope, not really, not with the thunderstorm already here. Due to the effects of Fusion Gate, I can remove fusion material monsters from play and then summon the fusion monster without the use of Polymerization. And for my first summoning, I'm going to remove from play the two Thunder Dragons in my hand and call forth Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" Echo called out as two electric dragons appeared and were sucked in to the center vortex. Then, from the same wormhole, a great red electric dragon with two heads emerged with 2800 attack and 2100 defense. "That's a pretty strong monster… wait a minute, your first summoning?" Kristiann asked, also a little worried. "Yes, that's right, I have a second one right here. I also remove from play the Tripwire Beast on my field with this Tactical Espionage Expert from my hand and call forth…" Echo called out again as the two monsters entered the vortex. "Samus Aran, the Electrical Bounty Hunter!" Echo proclaimed as a human in a high-tech power suit jumped out of the portal with electric energy and took its place on Echo's side of the field, with 2300 attack and 1600 defense points.

"Impressive, Echo, you got two superpower monsters out on one turn." Adrian complimented his partner. "Thanks, Adrian, but I'm just getting warmed up. But now at the cost of 500 of my life points, I can use Samus's special ability to send a card on the field back to a player's hand. So by using that, I'm sending James's Queen's Knight back to his hand." Echo called out as she pointed at the warrior and her own thunder monster shot a charged orb of blue electricity at her, making her disappear and causing Echo's life points to drop to 7500. "Alright, so I may be down one warrior, but I still have another to protect me." James pointed out as the Queen's Knight card appeared back in his hand. "That may be, but I have you outnumbered, so it's time to go on the offensive. Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack Marauding Captain!" Echo commanded as her beast let out a roar and charged lightning in its horns and loosed it towards James's warrior.

"I don't think so, Echo! Don't worry, baby, I'll save you with my trap card Fairy Box!" Kristiann called out as one of her facedown cards flipped up. "And here's how it works: before your attack can hit, we have to flip a coin. If it lands on tails, then you get off easy and my trap does nothing. If it's heads however, then your monster's attack points go down to zero for this turn." Kristiann explained. "So basically it's double or nothing. But still, you're taking a big risk." Echo pointed out. "That would be true, yes, but I also have a second trap that I can tag on. I activate Sure Fire Shot! You can only guess at what this one does, I'm sure." Kristiann countered with a grin as her second facedown was revealed. "Well based solely on the name, it doesn't sound too good." Adrian responded bluntly. "You're exactly right then. With this, I don't even have to flip a coin for Fairy Box, because for this one time, it's an automatic heads." Kristiann explained happily.

"Oh no, then my monster…" Echo trailed off in realization. "Doesn't have any attack points for this attack. In other words, it gets destroyed and you lose a bunch of life points!" Kristiann finished as Echo's dragon's attack points were drained to 0. As its lightning bolts drew closer, James's Marauding Captain absorbed the shock with its blade. It then let out a battle cry and charged Echo's Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and gave it a fatal slash, destroying it and reducing Echo's life points to 6300. "Thanks, darling, I owe you one there." James thanked his partner. "Alright, I'll give you that one, but can you do that again?" Echo taunted as James's warrior returned to its side of the field. "Samus Aran, finish off where my last monster couldn't and destroy Marauding Captain!" Echo commanded as her bounty hunter shot a missile from its arm, aimed at James's warrior. "Let's flip the coin then and see if your attack means anything." Kristiann stated as a large, gold coin was thrown out of the trap card and bounced around for a bit before finally landing on tails. "Looks like I got lucky this time. Samus, complete your attack!" Echo continued happily as the projectile made impact and destroyed Marauding Captain, reducing James's life points to 6500.

"Oh captain, my captain, fallen cold by a missile… or something like that." James said flatly to no one in particular. "See, this duel is far from over. But I think I've done enough damage for one turn, so I'll conclude my turn now." Echo stated as her turn came to an end. "Remarkable, already this duel has just really begun and both sides aren't budging an inch. About one round has passed and both teams are almost equal in points. Frankly, it's anyone's game at this point. Good show though." Bastion said aloud to himself. "Uh, like what'd the cute guy say?" Lovrina whispered to her sister. "I think what he meant was that this duel is still pretty up in the air. No one's really done anything earth shattering, but things are still heating up." Lavana replied. "This duel is certainly turning out to be as interesting as I imagined. Both teams appear right now to be evenly matched. James and Kristiann have slightly more life points, but Adrian and Echo have a better field. But of course, this duel is just getting started." Pegasus thought to himself as the tournament final continued.


End file.
